( ) this post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment.

Pursuant to Rule 24f-2 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, Registrant hereby elects to register an indefinite number of shares of Registrant and any series thereof hereinafter created.

This Post-Effective Amendment No. 535 to the Registration Statement contains the Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information describing the North Star Small Cap Value Fund (the “Fund”), a series of the Registrant. This Post-Effective Amendment to the Registration Statement is organized as follows: (a) Prospectus relating to the Fund; (b) Statement of Additional Information relating to the Fund; and (c) Part C Information relating to all series of the Registrant. The Prospectuses and Statements of Additional Information for the other series of the Registrant are not affected hereby.

The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.

This Prospectus provides important information about the Fund that you should know before investing. Please read it carefully and keep it for future reference.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has not approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this Prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

Investment Objective. The investment objective of the North Star Small Cap Value Fund (the “Fund”) is long-term capital appreciation.

Fees and Expenses of the Small Cap Value Fund. This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.

Example. This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual Fund. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

Portfolio Turnover. The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. For the fiscal year ended November 30, 2021, the Predecessor Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 71.40% of the average value of the portfolio. For more information regarding the Predecessor Fund, please see the discussion under “Performance Information.”

Principal Investment Strategies. The Fund invests primarily in common stocks of small capitalization companies that the Adviser believes have the potential for capital appreciation. Small capitalization companies

are defined as those with market capitalizations of $2 billion or less at the time of purchase. Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets plus any borrowing for investment purposes in common stocks of small capitalization companies, as defined above. The Fund emphasizes a “value” investment style, investing in companies that appear underpriced according to certain financial measurements of their worth or business prospects.

Principal Risks. Remember that in addition to possibly not achieving your investment goals, you could lose money by investing in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund are:

Performance. The following performance information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The Fund is the successor to the Predecessor Fund, a mutual fund with substantially similar investment objectives, policies, and restrictions, as a result of the reorganization of the Predecessor Fund into the Fund on [____], 2023. The performance provided in the bar chart and table is that of the Predecessor Fund. The bar chart illustrates how the Predecessor Fund’s average annual returns have varied from year to year for the past ten calendar years. The table below illustrates how the Predecessor Fund’s average annual total returns over time compare with a domestic broad-based market index. The Predecessor Fund’s past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.nsinvestfunds.com or by calling the Fund toll-free at 1-855-580-0900.

During the period shown in the bar chart, the best performance for a quarter was 27.27% (for the quarter ended December 31, 2020). The worst performance was -34.21% (for the quarter ended March 31, 2020).

^* The Predecessor Fund’s calendar year-to-date return as of [________] was [___]%.

After tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates in effect and do not reflect the effect of state and local taxes. The after-tax returns shown may not be relevant to those investors who hold their shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”). “Return After Taxes on Distributions” shows the effect of taxable distributions (dividends and capital gains distributions) but assumes that Fund shares are still held at the end of the period.

The Morningstar US Small Value PR Index measures the performance of small-cap stocks with relatively low prices given anticipated per-share earnings, book value, cash flow, sales and dividends.

Investment Adviser. North Star Investment Management Corp. serves as the Fund’s investment adviser.

Portfolio Managers. The following individuals serve as the Fund’s portfolio managers:

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares. You may conduct transactions by mail (North Star Small Cap Value Fund, c/o Ultimus Fund Solutions, LLC, (4221 North 203rd Street, Suite 100, Elkhorn, NE 38022), or by telephone at 1-855-580-0900. Investors who wish to purchase or redeem Fund shares through a financial intermediary should contact the financial intermediary directly.

The minimum initial and subsequent investment amounts for various types of accounts offered by the Fund are shown below.

Tax Information. The Fund’s distributions are taxable, and will be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries. If you purchase Fund shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create conflicts of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

Investment Strategies, Related Risks and Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

Investment Strategies. The Fund invests primarily in common stocks of small capitalization companies that the Adviser believes have the potential for capital appreciation. Small capitalization companies are defined as those with market capitalizations of $2 billion or less at the time of purchase.

Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets plus any borrowing for investment purposes in common stocks of small capitalization companies, as defined above. The Fund emphasizes a “value” investment style, investing in companies that appear underpriced according to certain financial measurements of their worth or business prospects. The Board of Trustees can change this policy without shareholder approval. The Fund will notify you in writing at least 60 days before implementing any change to this policy.

The Fund may invest in other securities as described in the Statement of Additional Information, which is available upon request.

Investment Selection. The Adviser searches for securities by using a proprietary valuation model to identify companies that are trading at a discount to intrinsic value. The starting universe is small capitalization companies defined as those with market capitalizations of $2 billion or less. Once investment ideas meet screening criteria, the Adviser studies public filings and constructs detailed models to project earnings and cash flows. The Adviser frequently contacts company management and/or industry experts to develop a clearer understanding of each investment idea. Final investment decisions are based on the Adviser’s internally prepared models and valuation metrics.

The Adviser may sell a security when it reaches the Adviser’s appraised value, when there is a more attractively priced company as an alternative, when the fundamentals of the business have changed, or when the Adviser determines that management of the company is not enhancing shareholder value. These portfolio reviews are conducted continuously through close monitoring of stock prices, changes in the economy, and corporate developments.

Temporary or Cash Investments. Under normal market conditions, the Fund will stay fully invested according to its principal investment strategies as noted above. The Fund, however, may temporarily depart from its principal investment strategies by making short-term investments in cash, cash equivalents, and high-quality, short-term debt securities and money market instruments for temporary defensive purposes in response to adverse market, economic or political conditions, or other events (including, for example, terrorism, war, natural disasters and disease/virus epidemics). This may result in the Fund not achieving its investment objectives during that period.

For longer periods of time, the Fund may hold a substantial cash position. If the market advances during periods when the Fund is holding a large cash position, the Fund may not participate to the extent it would have if the Fund had been more fully invested. To the extent that the Fund uses a money market fund for its cash position, there will be some duplication of expenses because the Fund would bear its pro rata portion of such money market Fund’s advisory fees and operational expenses.

Change in Investment Objective and Strategies. The Fund’s investment objective is not fundamental and may be changed without the approval of the Fund’s shareholders upon 60 days’ written notice to shareholders.

Before investing in the Fund, you should carefully consider your own investment goals, the amount of time you are willing to leave your money invested and the amount of risk you are willing to take. Remember that in addition to possibly not achieving your investment goals, you could lose money by investing in the Fund. The value of your investment in the Fund will go up and down with the prices of the securities in which the Fund invests. The principal risks of investing in the Fund are:

Cyber Security Risk. As the use of technology has become more prevalent in the course of business, the Fund has become more susceptible to operational, financial and information security risks resulting from cyber-attacks and/or technological malfunctions. Cyber-attacks include, among other things, the attempted theft, loss, misuse, improper release, corruption or destruction of, or unauthorized access to, confidential or highly restricted data relating to the Fund and its shareholders; and attempted compromises or failures to systems, networks, devices and applications relating to the operations of the Fund and its service providers. Cyber security breaches may result from unauthorized access to digital systems (e.g., through “hacking” or malicious software coding) or from outside attacks, such as denial-of-service attacks on websites (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users).

Equity Securities Risk. The Fund invests in common stock, which subjects the Fund and its shareholders to the risks associated with common stock investing. These risks include the financial risk of selecting securities that do not perform as anticipated, the risk that the stock markets in which the Fund invests may experience periods of turbulence and instability, and the general risk that domestic and global economies may go through periods of decline and cyclical change. Many factors affect the performance of each company, including the strength of the company’s management or the demand for its product or services. You should be aware that the value of a company’s share price may decline as a result of poor decisions made by management or lower demand for the company’s products or services. In addition, a company’s share price may also decline if its earnings or revenues fall short of expectations. If you held common stock of any given issuer, you would generally be exposed to greater risk than if you held preferred stocks and debt obligations of the issuer because common stockholders generally have inferior rights to receive payments from issuers in comparison with the rights of preferred stockholders, bondholders and other creditors of such issuers. Additionally, there are overall stock market risks that may also affect the value of the Fund. Over time, the stock markets tend to move in cycles, with periods when stock prices rise generally and periods when stock prices decline generally. The value of the Fund’s investments may increase or decrease more than the stock markets in general.

General Market Risk. The market value of a security may move up or down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably. These fluctuations may cause a security to be worth less than the price originally paid for it, or less than it was worth at an earlier time. Market risk may affect a single issuer, industry, sector of the economy or the market as a whole. Domestic and foreign economic growth and market conditions, interest rate levels, political events, terrorism, war, natural disasters, disease/virus epidemics and other events are among the factors affecting the securities markets in which the Fund invests. There is risk that these and other factors may adversely affect the Fund’s performance. These events could reduce consumer demand or economic output, result in market closure, travel restrictions or quarantines, and generally have a significant impact on the economy. These events could also impair the information technology and other operational systems upon which the Fund’s service providers, including the Adviser, rely, and could otherwise disrupt the ability of employees of the Fund’s service providers to perform essential tasks on behalf of the Fund. Governmental and quasi-governmental authorities and regulators throughout the world have in the past responded to major economic disruptions with a variety of significant fiscal and monetary policy changes, including but not limited

to, direct capital infusions into companies, new monetary programs and dramatically lower interest rates. An unexpected or quick reversal of these policies, or the ineffectiveness of these policies, could increase volatility in securities markets, which could adversely affect the Fund’s investments. You should consider your own investment goals, time horizon, and risk tolerance before investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund may not be appropriate for all investors and is not intended to be a complete investment program. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in the bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. You may lose money by investing in the Fund.

Small- Company Risk. Generally, small-cap, and less seasoned companies, have more potential for rapid growth. They also often involve greater risk than large- or mid-cap companies, and these risks are passed on to the Fund. These small-cap companies may not have the management experience, financial resources, product diversification and competitive strengths of large- or mid-cap companies, and, therefore, their securities tend to be more volatile than the securities of larger, more established companies, making them less liquid than other securities. Small-cap company stocks tend to be bought and sold less often and in smaller amounts than larger company stocks. Because of this, if the Fund wants to sell a large quantity of a small-cap company’s stock, it may have to sell at a lower price than the Adviser might prefer, or it may have to sell in smaller than desired quantities over a period of time. An investment in the Fund that is subject to these risks may be more suitable for long-term investors who are willing to bear the risk of these fluctuations.

Additionally, as compared to companies with larger market capitalizations, smaller capitalization companies may target narrower geographic regions, have shallower market penetrations, offer less diverse product or service lines, lack management depth, and, generally speaking, have fewer resources. There may also be less public information available about them. Moreover, the securities of such smaller companies are often less well known to the investment community and therefore have less market liquidity; as a result, their stock prices may be more volatile and react more strongly to changes in the marketplace. Generally, these risks increase as the size of a company’s market capitalization falls.

Value Style Investing Risk. Value stocks can perform differently from the market as a whole and from other types of stocks. Value stocks may be purchased based upon the belief that a given security may be out of favor. Value investing seeks to identify stocks that have depressed valuations, based upon a number of factors which are thought to be temporary in nature, and to sell them at superior profits when their prices rise in response to resolution of the issues which caused the valuation of the stock to be depressed. While certain value stocks may increase in value more quickly during periods of anticipated economic upturn, they may also lose value more quickly in periods of anticipated economic downturn. Furthermore, there is the risk that the factors which caused the depressed valuations are longer term or even permanent in nature, and that there will not be any rise in valuation. Finally, there is the increased risk in such situations that such companies may not have sufficient resources to continue as ongoing businesses, which would result in the stock of such companies potentially becoming worthless.

Sector Risk. Sector risk is the possibility that stocks within the same group of industries will decline in price due to sector-specific market or economic developments. If the Adviser invests a significant portion of its assets in a particular sector, the Fund is subject to the risk that companies in the same sector are likely to react similarly to legislative or regulatory changes, adverse market conditions and/or increased competition affecting that market segment. The sectors in which the Fund may be overweighted will vary.

Investment Management Risk. The Adviser’s strategy may fail to produce the intended results.

A description of the policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio holdings for the Fund is available in the Fund’s SAI. Currently, disclosure of the Fund’s holdings is required to be made quarterly within 60 days of the end of each fiscal quarter in the annual and semi-annual reports to Fund

shareholders and in the quarterly holdings report on Form N-PORT. The annual and semi-annual reports for the Fund is available by contacting the Fund, c/o Ultimus Fund Solutions, LLC, 4221 North 203rd Street, Suite 100, Elkhorn, NE 68022 or calling 1-855-580-0900.

The Trust, on behalf of the Fund has entered into an Investment Advisory Agreement (“Advisory Agreement”) with North Star Investment Management Corp., (the “Adviser”) located at 20 N. Wacker Drive, Suite 1416, Chicago, IL 60606, under which the Adviser manages the Fund’s investments subject to the supervision of the Board of Trustees. The Adviser offers both high net worth individual and institutional clients portfolio management services in a variety of alternative investment offerings, and is a registered investment adviser. As of December 31, 2021, the Adviser managed approximately $1.6 billion in assets. Under the Advisory Agreement, the Fund compensates the Adviser for its investment advisory services at the annual rate of 1.00% on the Fund’s average daily net assets.

Subject to the general supervision of the Board of Trustees, the Adviser is responsible for managing the Fund in accordance with its investment objective and policies using the approach discussed in the “Overview” section of this Prospectus. The Adviser also maintains related records for the Fund.

Fund Expenses. The Fund is responsible for its own operating expenses. Pursuant to an operating expense limitation agreement between the Adviser and the Fund, the Adviser has agreed to reduce its management fees and/or pay expenses of the Fund to ensure that the total amount of Fund operating expenses (excluding front-end or contingent deferred loads, brokerage fees and commissions, acquired fund fees and expenses, borrowing costs (such as interest and dividend expense on securities sold short), taxes and extraordinary expenses such as litigation) do not exceed 0.98% and 1.21% of the Fund’s average net assets for Institutional Class shares and Investor Class shares, respectively, through May 31, 2025 subject thereafter to annual re-approval of the agreement by the Board of Trustees. The Adviser is permitted to receive reimbursement from the Fund for fees it waived and Fund expenses it paid, subject to the limitation that: (1) the reimbursement for fees and expenses will be made only if payable within three years from the date the fees and expenses were initially waived or reimbursed; and (2) the reimbursement may not be made if it would cause the expense limitation in effect at the time of the waiver or currently in effect, whichever is lower, to be exceeded. The Fund must pay its current ordinary operating expenses before the Adviser is entitled to any reimbursement of management fees and/or expenses. This Operating Expense Limitation Agreement can be terminated only by, or with the consent, of the Board of Trustees.

For the fiscal year ended January 31, 2022, the Predecessor Fund’s prior investment adviser received an investment management fee at an annual rate equal to 1.00% of the average daily net assets of the Predecessor Fund.

A discussion regarding the basis for the Board of Trustees’ approval of the Advisory Agreement for the Fund will be available in the annual report to shareholders dated January 31, 2023.

Eric Kuby. Mr. Kuby has over 37 years of experience serving both individual and institutional clients. Mr. Kuby joined the Adviser in 2004 and has been Chief Investment Officer of the Adviser since 2005. As Chairman of the Investment Committee, Mr. Kuby is responsible for overseeing the firm’s various investment strategies. Mr. Kuby holds an MBA in Finance as well as a BA in Economics from The University of Chicago.

Peter Gottlieb. Mr. Gottlieb has over 31 years’ experience in the financial industry as a financial advisor as well as serving on the Board of Directors of a community bank, a publicly traded business development

company and a community hospital. Mr. Gottlieb is the Founder and President of the Adviser since 2003. Mr. Gottlieb earned his BA degree from the University of Michigan, School of Business.

The SAI provides additional information about the Portfolio Managers’ compensation, other accounts managed by the Portfolio Managers and the Portfolio Managers’ ownership of securities in the Fund.

Shares of the Fund are sold at net asset value (“NAV”). The NAV of the Fund is determined at close of regular trading of the New York Stock Exchange (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time) on each day the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) is open. NAV is computed by determining, on a per class basis, the aggregate market value of all assets of the Fund, less its liabilities, divided by the total number of shares outstanding ((assets-liabilities)/number of shares = NAV). The NYSE is closed on weekends and New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. The NAV takes into account, on a per class basis, the expenses and fees of the Fund, including management, administration, and distribution fees, which are accrued daily. The determination of NAV for a share class for a particular day is applicable to all applications for the purchase of shares, as well as all requests for the redemption of shares, received by the Fund (or an authorized broker or agent, or its authorized designee) before the close of trading on the NYSE on that day.

Generally, the Fund’s securities listed on an exchange are valued each day at the last quoted sales price on each security’s primary exchange. Securities traded or dealt in upon one or more securities exchanges (whether domestic or foreign) for which market quotations are readily available and not subject to restrictions against resale shall be valued at the last quoted sales price on the primary exchange or, in the absence of a sale on the primary exchange, at the mean between the current bid and ask prices on such exchanges. Securities primarily traded in the National Association of Securities Dealers’ Automated Quotation System (“NASDAQ”) National Market System for which market quotations are readily available shall be valued using the NASDAQ Official Closing Price. Securities that are not traded or dealt in any securities exchange (whether domestic or foreign) and for which over-the-counter market quotations are readily available generally shall be valued at the last sale price or, in the absence of a sale, at the mean between the current bid and ask price on such over-the-counter market. Debt securities not traded on an exchange may be valued at prices supplied by a pricing agent(s) based on broker or dealer supplied valuations or matrix pricing, a method of valuing securities by reference to the value of other securities with similar characteristics, such as rating, interest rate and maturity.

If market quotations are not readily available, securities will be valued at their fair market value as determined using the “fair value” procedures approved by the Board. Fair value pricing involves subjective judgments and it is possible that the fair value determined for a security may be materially different than the value that could be realized upon the sale of that security. The fair value prices can differ from market prices when they become available or when a price becomes available. The Board has appointed the Adviser as its designee (the “Valuation Designee”) for all fair value determinations and responsibilities other than overseeing pricing service providers used by the Trust. This designation is, subject to Board oversight and certain reporting and other requirements designed to facilitate the Board’s ability to oversee the Valuation Designee’s fair value determinations effectively. The Valuation Designee may also enlist third party consultants such as an audit firm or financial officer of a security issuer on an as-needed basis to assist in determining a security-specific fair value. The Board is responsible for reviewing and approving fair value methodologies utilized by the Valuation Designee, which approval shall be based upon whether the Valuation Designee followed the valuation procedures established by the Board..

The Fund may use independent pricing services to assist in calculating the value of the Fund’s securities.

In addition, market prices for foreign securities are not determined at the same time of day as the NAV for the Fund. Because the Fund may invest directly or indirectly through underlying ETFs in securities primarily listed

on foreign exchanges, and these exchanges may trade on weekends or other days when the Fund or underlying ETFs do not price their shares, the value of some of the Fund’s portfolio securities may change on days when you may not be able to buy or sell Fund shares.

In computing the NAV, the Fund values foreign securities held by the Fund at the latest closing price on the exchange in which they are traded immediately prior to closing of the NYSE. Prices of foreign securities quoted in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars at current rates. If events materially affecting the value of a security in the Fund’s portfolio, particularly foreign securities, occur after the close of trading on a foreign market but before the Fund prices its shares, the security will be valued at fair value. For example, if trading in a portfolio security is halted and does not resume before the Fund calculates its NAV, the Adviser may need to price the security using the Fund’s fair value pricing guidelines. The determination of fair value involves subjective judgments. As a result, using fair value to price a security may result in a price materially different from the prices used by other funds to determine net asset value, or from the price that may be realized upon the actual sale of the security.

With respect to any portion of the Fund’s assets that are invested in one or more open-end management investment companies registered under the 1940 Act, the Fund’s net asset value is calculated based upon the net asset values of those open-end management investment companies, and the prospectuses for these companies explain the circumstances under which those companies will use fair value pricing and the effects of using fair value pricing.

The Trust has adopted a multiple class plan that allows the Fund to offer one or more classes of shares. The Fund has registered two classes of shares—Institutional Class shares, and Investor Class shares. The different classes of shares represent investments in the same portfolio of securities, but the classes are subject to different expenses and may have different share prices as outlined below: Not all share classes may be available for purchase in all states.

The Fund offers Institutional Class shares primarily for direct investment by investors such as pension and profit-sharing plans, employee benefit trusts, endowments, foundations, corporations and high net worth individuals. Institutional Class shares may also be offered through certain financial intermediaries (including broker-dealers) and their agents in fee based and other programs. In these programs financial intermediaries have made arrangements with the Fund and are authorized to buy and sell shares of the Fund that charge their customers transaction or other distribution or service fees with respect to their customers’ investments in the Fund.

Institutional Class shares may be purchased without the imposition of any sales charges. The Fund offers Institutional Class shares primarily for direct investment by investors such as pension and profit-sharing plans, employee benefit trusts, endowments, foundations, corporations and high net worth individuals. Institutional Class shares may also be offered through certain financial intermediaries (including broker-dealers) and their agents in fee based and other programs. In these programs financial intermediaries have made arrangements with the Fund and are authorized to buy and sell shares of the Fund that charges its customers transaction or

other distribution or service fees with respect to its customer’s investments in the Fund. Institutional Class shares are sold at NAV without an initial sales charge. The minimum initial investment in Institutional Class shares of the Fund is $100,000, and the minimum subsequent investment in Investor Class shares is $1,000..

Investor Class shares of the Fund are sold at NAV without an initial sales charge and are subject to 12b-1 distribution and shareholder servicing fees of up to 0.25% of the average daily net assets of Investor Class shares. This means that 100% of your initial investment is placed into shares of the Fund. The minimum initial investment in Investor Class shares is $2,500, and the minimum subsequent investment in Investor Class shares is $500.

Purchase by Mail. To purchase the Fund’s shares by mail, simply complete and sign the Account Application and mail it, along with a check made payable to “North Star Small Cap Value Fund”:

Purchase through Brokers. You may invest in the Fund through brokers or agents who have entered into selling agreements with the Fund’s distributor. The brokers and agents are authorized to receive purchase and redemption orders on behalf of the Fund. The Fund will be deemed to have received a purchase or redemption order when an authorized broker or its designee receives the order. The broker or agent may set their own initial and subsequent investment minimums. You may be charged a fee if you use a broker or agent to buy or redeem shares of the Fund. Finally, various servicing agents use procedures and impose restrictions that may be in addition to, or different from those applicable to investors purchasing shares directly from the Fund. You should carefully read the program materials provided to you by your servicing agent. Such brokers are authorized to designate other intermediaries to receive purchase and redemption orders on the Fund’s behalf.

Purchase by Wire. If you wish to wire money to make an investment in the Fund, please call the Fund at 1-855-580-0900 for wiring instructions and to notify the Fund that a wire transfer is coming. Any commercial bank can transfer same-day to the Fund via wire. The Fund will normally accept wired transfers for investment on the day received if they are received by the Fund’s designated bank before the close of regular trading on the NYSE. Your bank may charge you a fee for wiring same-day to the Fund.

Automated Clearing House (ACH) Purchase. Current shareholders may purchase additional shares via Automated Clearing House (“ACH”). To have this option added to your account, please send a letter to the Fund requesting this option and supply a voided check for the bank account. Only bank accounts held at domestic institutions that are ACH members may be used for these transactions.

You may not use ACH transactions for your initial purchase of Fund shares. ACH purchases will be effective at the closing price per share on the business day after the order is placed. The Fund may alter, modify or terminate this purchase option at any time.

Shares purchased by ACH will not be available for redemption until the transactions have cleared. Shares purchased via ACH transfer may take up to 15 days to clear.

Automatic Investment Plan. You may participate in the Fund’s Automatic Investment Plan, an investment plan that automatically moves money from your bank account and invests it in the Fund through the use of electronic Fund transfers or automatic bank drafts. You may elect to make subsequent investments by transfers of a minimum of $100 on specified days of each month into your established Fund account. Please contact the Fund

at 1-855-580-0900 for more information about the Fund’s Automatic Investment Plan. Minimum initial investment requirements may be waived for Automatic Investment Plan investors, at the Fund’s discretion.

The Fund, however, reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to reject any application to purchase shares. Applications will not be accepted unless they are accompanied by a check drawn on a U.S. bank, thrift institutions, or credit union in U.S. Fund for the full amount of the shares to be purchased. After you open an account, you may purchase additional shares by sending a check together with written instructions stating the name(s) on the account and the account number, to the above address. Make all checks payable to “North Star Small Cap Value Fund”. The Fund will not accept payment in cash, cashier’s checks or money orders. To prevent check fraud, the Fund will not accept third party checks, U.S. Treasury checks, credit card checks or starter checks for the purchase of shares. Redemptions of shares of the Fund purchased by check may be subject to a hold period until the check has been cleared by the issuing bank. To avoid such holding periods, shares may be purchased through a broker or by wire, as described in this section.

Note: Ultimus Fund Solutions, LLC, the Fund’s transfer agent, will charge a $25 fee against a shareholder’s account, in addition to any loss sustained by the Fund, for any check returned to the transfer agent for insufficient Fund.

Anti-Money Laundering Program. The USA PATRIOT Act requires financial institutions, including the Fund, to adopt certain policies and programs to prevent money-laundering activities, including procedures to verify the identity of customers opening new accounts. As requested on the application, you should supply your full name, date of birth, social security number and permanent street address. Mailing addresses containing a P.O. Box will not be accepted. This information will assist the Fund in verifying your identity. Until such verification is made, the Fund may temporarily limit additional share purchases. In addition, the Fund may limit additional share purchases or close an account if it is unable to verify a shareholder’s identity. As required by law, the Fund may employ various procedures, such as comparing the information to fraud databases or requesting additional information or documentation from you, to ensure that the information supplied by you is correct.

In order to ensure compliance with these laws, the Account Application asks for, among other things, the following information for all “customers” seeking to open an “account” (as those terms are defined in rules adopted pursuant to the USA PATRIOT Act):

Accounts opened by entities, such as corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships or trusts, will require additional documentation.

Please note that if any information listed above is missing, your Account Application will be returned and your account will not be opened. In compliance with the USA PATRIOT Act and other applicable anti-money laundering laws and regulations, the Transfer Agent will verify the information on your application as part of the Program. The Fund reserve the right to request additional clarifying information and may close your account if such clarifying information is not received by the Fund within a reasonable time of the request or if the Fund cannot form a reasonable belief as to the true identity of a customer. If you require additional assistance when completing your Account Application, please contact the Transfer Agent at 1-855-580-0900.

The Fund typically expect that it will take up to 7 days following the receipt of your redemption request to pay out redemptions from cash, cash equivalents, proceeds from the sale of the applicable Fund shares, any line of credit, and then from the sale of portfolio securities. These redemption payment methods will be used in regular and stressed market conditions.

You may redeem all or any portion of the shares credited to your account by submitting a written request for redemption to the applicable Fund:

Redemptions by Telephone: The telephone redemption privilege is automatically available to all new accounts. If you do not want the telephone redemption privilege, you must indicate this in the appropriate area on your account application or you must write to the Fund and instruct it to remove this privilege from your account.

The proceeds will be sent by mail to the address designated on your account or wired directly to your existing account in a bank or brokerage firm in the United States as designated on your application. To redeem by telephone, call 1-855-580-0900. The redemption proceeds normally will be sent by mail or by wire within three business days after receipt of your telephone instructions. IRA accounts are not redeemable by telephone.

The Fund reserve the right to suspend the telephone redemption privileges with respect to your account if the name(s) or the address on the account has been changed within the previous 30 days. Neither the Fund, the transfer agent nor their respective affiliates will be liable for complying with telephone instructions they reasonably believe to be genuine or for any loss, damage, cost or expenses in acting on such telephone instructions and you will be required to bear the risk of any such loss. The Fund or the transfer agent, or both, will employ reasonable procedures to determine that telephone instructions are genuine. If the Fund and/or the transfer agent do not employ these procedures, they may be liable to you for losses due to unauthorized or fraudulent instructions. These procedures may include, among others, requiring forms of personal identification prior to acting upon telephone instructions, providing written confirmation of the transactions and/or tape recording telephone instructions.

During periods of high market activity, you may encounter higher than usual wait times. Please allow sufficient time to ensure that you will be able to complete your telephone transaction prior to market close. Neither the Fund nor its transfer agent will be held liable if you are unable to place your trade due to high call volume.

Redemptions through Broker: If shares of the Fund are held by a broker-dealer, financial institution or other servicing agent, you must contact that servicing agent to redeem shares of the Fund. The servicing agent may charge a fee for this service.

Redemptions by Wire: You may request that your redemption proceeds be wired directly to your bank account. The Fund’s transfer agent imposes a $15 fee for each wire redemption and deducts the fee directly from your account. Your bank may also impose a fee for the incoming wire.

Systematic Withdrawal Plan: If your individual accounts, IRA or other qualified plan account have a current account value of at least $10,000, you may participate in the Fund’s Systematic Withdrawal Plan, an investment plan that automatically moves money to your bank account from the Fund through the use of electronic Fund transfers. You may elect to make subsequent withdrawals by transfers of a minimum of $100 on specified days of each month into your established bank account. Please contact the Fund at 1-855-580-0900 for more information about the Fund Systematic Withdrawal Plan.

Redemptions in Kind: The Fund reserve the right to honor requests for redemption or repurchase orders made by a shareholder during any 90-day period by making payment in whole or in part in portfolio securities (“redemption in kind”) if the amount of such a request is large enough to affect operations (if the request is greater than the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the Fund’s net assets at the beginning of the 90-day period). The securities will be chosen by the Fund and valued using the same procedures as used in calculating the Fund’s NAV. A shareholder may incur transaction expenses in converting these securities to cash and securities redeemed in-kind remain at the risk of the market until they are sold and the shareholder will bear market risk until the securities are converted to cash.

When Redemptions are Sent: Once the Fund receives your redemption request in “good order” as described below, it will issue a check based on the next determined NAV following your redemption request. The redemption proceeds normally will be sent by mail or by wire within three business days after receipt of a request in “good order.” If you purchase shares using a check and soon after request a redemption, your redemption proceeds will not be sent until the check used for your purchase has cleared your bank.

When You Need Medallion Signature Guarantees: If you wish to change the bank or brokerage account that you have designated on your account, you may do so at any time by writing to the Fund with your signature guaranteed. A medallion signature guarantee assures that a signature is genuine and protects you from unauthorized account transfers. You will need your signature guaranteed if:

Signatures may be guaranteed by any eligible guarantor institution (including banks, brokers and dealers, credit unions, national securities exchanges, registered securities associations, clearing agencies and savings associations). Further documentation will be required to change the designated account if shares are held by a corporation, fiduciary or other organization. A notary public cannot guarantee signatures.

Retirement Plans: If you own an IRA or other retirement plan, you must indicate on your redemption request whether the Fund should withhold federal income tax. Unless you elect in your redemption request that you do not want to have federal tax withheld, the redemption will be subject to withholding.

Low Balances: If at any time your account balance falls below $5,000 for Institutional Class shares, the Fund may notify you that, unless the account is brought up to at least $5000 for Institutional Class shares within 60 days of the notice; your account could be closed. After the notice period, the Fund may redeem all of your shares and close your account by sending you a check to the address of record. Your account will not be closed if the account balance drops below required minimum due to a decline in NAV.

To establish internet transaction privileges, you must enroll through the website, www.nsinvestfunds.com. You automatically have the ability to establish internet transaction privileges unless you decline the privileges on your New Account Application or IRA Application. You will be required to enter into a user’s agreement through the website in order to enroll in these privileges. To purchase shares through the website, you must also have ACH instructions on your account. Redemption proceeds may be sent to you by check to the address or record, or if your account has existing bank information, by wire or ACH. Only bank accounts held at domestic financial institutions that are ACH members can be used for transactions through the Fund’s website. Transactions through the website are subject to the same minimums and maximums as other transaction methods. You should be aware that the internet is an unsecured, unstable, unregulated and unpredictable environment. Your ability to use the website for transactions is dependent upon the internet and equipment, software, systems, data and services provided by various vendors and third parties. While the Fund and its service providers have established certain security procedures, the Fund, their distributor and their transfer agent cannot assure you that trading information will be completely secure. There may also be delays, malfunctions, or other inconveniences generally associated with this medium. There also may be times when the website is unavailable for Fund transactions or other purposes. Should this happen, you should consider purchasing or redeeming shares by another method. Neither the Fund nor their transfer agent, distributor nor Adviser will be liable for any such delays or malfunctions or unauthorized interception or access to communications or account information.

A share conversion is a transaction in which shares of one class of the Fund are exchanged for shares of another class of the Fund. Share conversions can occur between Investor Class and Institutional Class shares of the Fund. Generally, share conversions occur when a shareholder becomes eligible for another share class of the Fund or no longer meets the eligibility criteria of the share class owned by the shareholder (and another class exists for which the shareholder would be eligible). Please note that a share conversion is generally a non-taxable event, but you should consult with your personal tax advisor on your particular circumstances. Please also note, all share conversion requests must be approved by the Adviser.

A request for a share conversion will not be processed until it is received in “good order” (as defined above) by the Fund or your financial intermediary. To receive the NAV of the new class calculated that day, conversion requests must be received in good order by the Fund or your financial intermediary before 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time or the financial intermediary’s earlier applicable deadline. Please note that, because the NAV of each class of the Fund will generally vary from the NAV of the other class due to differences in expenses, you will receive a number of shares of the new class that is different from the number of shares that you held of the old class, but the total value of your holdings will remain the same.

The Fund’s frequent trading policies will not be applicable to share conversions. If you hold your shares through a financial intermediary, please contact the financial intermediary for more information on share conversions. Please note that certain financial intermediaries may not permit all types of share conversions. The Fund reserve the right to terminate, suspend or modify the share conversion privilege for any shareholder or group of shareholders.

The Fund reserves the right to automatically convert shareholders from one class to another if they either no longer qualify as eligible for their existing class or if they become eligible for another class. Such mandatory conversions may be as a result of a change in value of an account due to market movements, exchanges or redemptions. The Fund will notify affected shareholders in writing prior to any mandatory conversion.

The Fund discourages and does not accommodate market timing. Frequent trading into and out of the Fund can harm all Fund shareholders by disrupting the Fund’s investment strategies, increasing Fund expenses, decreasing tax efficiency and diluting the value of shares held by long-term shareholders. The Fund is designed for long-term investors and is not intended for market timing or other disruptive trading activities. Accordingly, the Fund’s Board has approved policies that seek to curb these disruptive activities while recognizing that shareholders may have a legitimate need to adjust their Fund investments as their financial needs or circumstances change. The Fund currently uses several methods to reduce the risk of market timing. These methods include:

Though these methods involve judgments that are inherently subjective and involve some selectivity in their application, the Fund seeks to make judgments and applications that are consistent with the interests of the Fund’s shareholders.

Based on the frequency of trading, the Adviser or Transfer Agent may in its sole discretion determine that your trading activity is detrimental to the Fund as described in the Fund’s Market Timing Trading Policy and elect to (i) reject or limit the amount, number, frequency or method for requesting future purchases into the Fund and/or (ii) reject or limit the amount, number, frequency or method for requesting future exchanges or redemptions out of the Fund.

The Fund reserve the right to reject or restrict purchase or exchange requests for any reason, particularly when the shareholder’s trading activity suggests that the shareholder may be engaged in market timing or other disruptive trading activities. Neither the Fund nor the Adviser will be liable for any losses resulting from rejected purchase or exchange orders. The Adviser may also bar an investor who has violated these policies (and the investor’s financial adviser) from opening new accounts with the Fund.

Although the Fund attempts to limit disruptive trading activities, some investors use a variety of strategies to hide their identities and their trading practices. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will be able to identify or limit these activities. Omnibus account arrangements are common forms of holding shares of the Fund. While the Fund will encourage financial intermediaries to apply the Fund’s Market Timing Trading Policy to their customers who invest indirectly in the Fund, the Fund is limited in its ability to monitor the trading activity or enforce the Fund’s Market Timing Trading Policy with respect to customers of financial intermediaries. For example, should it occur, the Fund may not be able to detect market timing that may be facilitated by financial intermediaries or made difficult to identify in the omnibus accounts used by those intermediaries for aggregated purchases, exchanges and redemptions on behalf of all their customers. More specifically, unless the financial intermediaries have the ability to apply the Fund’s Market Timing Trading Policy to their customers through such methods as implementing short-term trading limitations or restrictions and monitoring trading activity for what might be market timing, the Fund may not be able to determine whether trading by customers of financial intermediaries is contrary to the Fund’s Market Timing Trading Policy. Brokers maintaining omnibus accounts with the Fund have agreed to provide shareholder transaction information to the extent known to the broker to the Fund upon request. If the Fund or its transfer agent or shareholder servicing agent suspects there is market timing activity in the account, the Fund will seek full cooperation from the service provider maintaining the account to identify the underlying participant. At the request of the Adviser, the service providers may take immediate action to stop any further short-term trading by such participants.

Householding. To reduce expenses, the Fund mails only one copy of the Prospectus and each annual and semi-annual report to those addresses shared by two or more accounts. If you wish to receive individual copies of these documents, please call the Fund at 1-855-580-0900 on days the Fund is open for business or contact your financial institution. The Fund will begin sending you individual copies thirty days after receiving your request.

Northern Lights Distributors, LLC (the “Distributor”) is located at 4221 North 203rd Street, Suite 100, Elkhorn, NE 68022, and serves as distributor and principal underwriter to the Fund. The Distributor is a registered broker-dealer and member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”). Shares of the Fund are offered on a continuous basis.

The Fund has adopted a Distribution and Shareholder Servicing Plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 (the “12b-1 Plan”) under the 1940 Act for Investor Class shares. Under the Investor Class 12b-1 Plan, Investor Class shares of the Fund are authorized to pay the distributor, or such other entities as approved by the Board of Trustees, a fee for the promotion and distribution of the Fund and the provision of personal services to shareholders. The maximum amount of the fee authorized is 0.25% of the Fund’s average daily net assets annually for the Investor Class shares. The Distributor may pay any or all amounts received under the 12b-1 Plans to other persons, including the Adviser, for any distribution or service activity. Because these fees are paid out of the Fund’s assets on an on-going basis, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment in the Fund and may cost you more than paying other types of sales charges. In addition to the fees paid under the 12b-1 Plan, the Fund may pay service fees to intermediaries such as banks, broker-dealers, financial advisors or other financial institutions, including the Adviser and affiliates of the Adviser, for sub-administration, sub-transfer agency and other shareholder services associated with shareholders whose shares are held of record in omnibus, other group accounts or accounts traded through registered securities clearing agents..

The distributor, its affiliates and the Adviser, out of its own resources, and without additional cost to the Fund or its shareholders, may provide additional cash payments or non-cash compensation to intermediaries who sell shares of the Fund. Such payments and compensation are in addition to service fees paid by the Fund, if any. These additional cash payments are generally made to intermediaries that provide shareholder servicing, marketing support and/or access to sales meetings, sales representatives and management representatives of the intermediary. Cash compensation may also be paid to intermediaries for inclusion of the Fund on a sales list, including a preferred or select sales list, in other sales programs or as an expense reimbursement in cases where the intermediary provides shareholder services to the Fund’s shareholders. The Adviser may also pay cash compensation in the form of finder’s fees that vary depending on the dollar amount of the shares sold.

Distributions and Taxes

Any sale or exchange of the Fund’s shares may generate tax liability (unless you are a tax-exempt investor or your investment is in a qualified retirement account). When you redeem your shares you may realize a taxable gain or loss. This is measured by the difference between the proceeds of the sale and the tax basis for the shares

you sold. (To aid in computing your tax basis, you generally should retain your account statements for the period that you hold shares in the Fund.)

The Fund intends to distribute substantially all of its net investment income and net capital gains annually in December. The distributions will be reinvested in shares of the respective Fund unless you elect to receive cash. Dividends from net investment income (including any excess of net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss) are taxable to investors as ordinary income, while distributions of net capital gain (the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss) are generally taxable as long-term capital gain, regardless of your holding period for the shares. Any dividends or capital gain distributions you receive from the Fund will normally be taxable to you when made, regardless of whether you reinvest dividends or capital gain distributions or receive them in cash. Certain dividends or distributions declared in October, November or December will be taxed to shareholders as if received in December if they are paid during the following January. Each year the Fund will inform you of the amount and type of your distributions. IRAs and other qualified retirement plans are exempt from federal income taxation until retirement proceeds are paid out to the participant.

Your redemptions, including exchanges, may result in a capital gain or loss for federal income tax purposes. A capital gain or loss on your investment is the difference between the cost of your shares, including any sales charges, and the amount you receive when you sell them. The Fund must report to the IRS and furnish to shareholders the cost basis information for shares purchased and sold. The Fund has chosen average cost as its standing (default) tax lot identification method for all shareholders, which means this is the method the Fund will use to determine which specific shares are deemed to be sold when there are multiple purchases on different dates at differing NAVs, and the entire position is not sold at one time. Shareholders may, however, choose a method other than the Fund’s standing method at the time of their purchase or upon sale of covered shares. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors to determine the best IRS-accepted cost basis method for their tax situation and to obtain more information about how cost basis reporting applies to them. Shareholders also should carefully review the cost basis information provided to them by the Fund and make any additional basis, holding period or other adjustments that are required when reporting these amounts on their federal income tax returns.

On the account application, you will be asked to certify that your social security number or taxpayer identification number is correct and that you are not subject to backup withholding for failing to report income to the IRS. If you are subject to backup withholding or you did not certify your taxpayer identification number, the IRS requires the Fund to withhold a percentage of any dividend, redemption or exchange proceeds. The Fund reserves the right to reject any application that does not include a certified social security or taxpayer identification number. If you do not have a social security number, you should indicate on the purchase form that your application to obtain a number is pending. The Fund is required to withhold taxes if a number is not delivered to the Fund within seven days.

This summary is not intended to be and should not be construed to be legal or tax advice. This summary is general in nature and should not be regarded as an exhaustive presentation of all possible tax ramifications. The tax considerations relevant to a specific shareholder depend upon its specific circumstances, and this summary does not attempt to discuss all potential tax considerations that could be relevant to a prospective shareholder with respect to the Fund or its investments. This general summary is based on the Code, the Federal Income Tax Regulations promulgated thereunder, and administrative and judicial interpretations thereof as of the date hereof, all of which are subject to change (potentially on a retroactive basis). You should consult your own independent tax advisors to determine the tax consequences of owning the Fund’s shares.

Other Reporting and Withholding Requirements. Payments to a shareholder that is either a foreign financial institution (“FFI”) or a non-financial foreign entity (“NFFE”) within the meaning of the Foreign Account Tax

Compliance Act (“FATCA”) may be subject to a 30% withholding tax on: (a) income and dividends paid by the Fund and (b) certain capital gain distributions and the gross proceeds arising from the sale of Fund shares paid by the Fund after December 31, 2018. FATCA withholding tax generally can be avoided: (a) by an FFI, subject to any applicable intergovernmental agreement or other exemption, if it either enters into a valid agreement with the IRS or otherwise complies with the specific requirements and provisions of an applicable intergovernmental agreement, in each case to, among other requirements, to collect and report required information about certain direct and indirect ownership of foreign financial accounts held by U.S. persons with the FFI and (b) by an NFFE, if it: (i) certifies that it has no substantial U.S. persons as owners or (ii) if it does have such owners, reports information relating to them. The Fund may disclose the information that it receives from its shareholders to the IRS, non-U.S. taxing authorities or other parties as necessary to comply with FATCA. Withholding also may be required if a foreign entity that is a shareholder of the Fund fails to provide the Fund with appropriate certifications or other documentation concerning its status under FATCA.

The financial highlights for the Fund reflects the historical financial highlights of the Predecessor Fund. Upon completion of the reorganization of the Predecessor Fund with and into the Fund, which occurred as of the close of business on [_____], 2023, the Institutional Class and Investor Class shares assumed the performance, financial and other historical information of the then-existing Institutional Class and Investor Class shares of the Predecessor Fund.

Certain information reflects financial results for a single Fund share. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned (or lost) on an investment in the Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions). This information has been derived from the financial statements audited by [_________], the Predecessor Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm, whose report, along with the financial statements (which have been adopted by the Fund), are included in the Predecessor Fund’s most recent annual report to shareholders, as well as unaudited financial statements (which have been adopted by the Fund) included in the Predecessor Fund’s most recent semi-annual report to shareholders.

The table below sets forth financial data for one share of beneficial interest outstanding throughout each year.

The SAI provides additional details about the investments and techniques of the Fund and certain other additional information. A current SAI is on file with the SEC and is incorporated into this Prospectus by reference. This means that the SAI is legally considered a part of this Prospectus even though it is not physically within this Prospectus.

The Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports provide the most recent financial reports and portfolio listings. The annual report contains a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that affected the Fund’s performance during the Fund’s last fiscal year.

You can obtain a free copy of these documents, request other information, or make general inquiries about the Fund by calling the Fund (toll-free) at 1-855-580-0900, on the Fund’s website www.nsinvestfunds.com or by writing to:

You can review and copy information, including the Fund’s reports and SAI, at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. You can obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling (202) 551-8090. Reports and other information about the Fund is also available:

The information in this statement of additional information is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This statement of additional information is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.

This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) provides general information about the North Star Small Cap Value Fund (the “Fund”) a series of Northern Lights Fund Trust II (the “Trust”). This SAI is not a prospectus and should be read in conjunction with the Fund’s current prospectus for Institutional Class and Investor Class shares dated [_____], 2023 (the “Prospectus”), as supplemented and amended from time to time, which is incorporated herein by reference. To obtain a copy of the Prospectus free of charge, please write or call the Fund at the address or telephone number below:

The North Star Small Cap Value Fund (the “Fund”) is a series of Northern Lights Fund Trust II, a Delaware statutory trust (the “Trust”) organized on August 26, 2010.

The Trust is registered as an open-end management investment company. The Trust is governed by its Board of Trustees (the “Board” or “Trustees”). The Fund may issue an unlimited number of shares of beneficial interest. All shares of the Fund have equal rights and privileges. Each share of the Fund is entitled to one vote on all matters as to which shares are entitled to vote. In addition, each share of the Fund is entitled to participate equally with other shares (i) in dividends and distributions declared by the Fund and (ii) on liquidation to its proportionate share of the assets remaining after satisfaction of outstanding liabilities. Shares of the Fund are fully paid, non-assessable and fully transferable when issued and have no pre-emptive, conversion or exchange rights. Fractional shares have proportionately the same rights, including voting rights, as are provided for a full share.

The Fund is a diversified series of the Trust. The Fund’s investment objectives, restrictions and policies are more fully described here and in the Prospectus. The Board may add classes to and reclassify the shares of the Fund, start other series and offer shares of a new fund under the Trust at any time.

The Fund has registered two classes of shares: Institutional Class shares and Investor Class shares. Each share class represents an interest in the same assets of the Fund, has the same rights and is identical in all material respects except that (i) each class of shares may be subject to different (or no) sales loads, (ii) each class of shares may bear different (or no) distribution fees; (iii) each class of shares may have different shareholder features, such as minimum investment amounts; (iv) certain other class-specific expenses will be borne solely by the class to which such expenses are attributable, including transfer agent fees attributable to a specific class of shares, printing and postage expenses related to preparing and distributing materials to current shareholders of a specific class, registration fees paid by a specific class of shares, the expenses of administrative personnel and services required to support the shareholders of a specific class, litigation or other legal expenses relating to a class of shares, Trustees’ fees or expenses paid as a result of issues relating to a specific class of shares and accounting fees and expenses relating to a specific class of shares and (v) each class has exclusive voting rights with respect to matters relating to its own distribution arrangements. Each share of the Fund is entitled to one vote on all matters as to which shares are entitled to vote. In addition, each share of the Fund is entitled to participate equally with other shares on a class-specific basis (i) in dividends and distributions declared by the Fund and (ii) on liquidation to its proportionate share of the assets remaining after satisfaction of outstanding liabilities. Shares of the Fund are fully paid, non-assessable and fully transferable when issued and have no pre-emptive, conversion or exchange rights. Fractional shares have proportionately the same rights, including voting rights, as are provided for a full share.

History of the Fund. The Fund is a series of the Trust, and commenced operations on [____], 2023. Prior to becoming a series of the Trust, the Fund was organized as a series of the Walthausen Funds, an Ohio business trust, and was known as the Walthausen Small Cap Value Fund (“Predecessor Fund”). The Predecessor Fund’s Investor Class shares and Institutional Class shares commenced operations on February 1, 2008, and December 31, 2018, respectively. The Predecessor Fund’s fiscal year was from February 1 to January 31. The Fund’s fiscal year will be from December 1 to November 30.

Under the Trust’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust, each Trustee will continue in office until the termination of the Trust or his/her earlier death, incapacity, resignation or removal. Shareholders can remove a Trustee to the extent provided by the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”) and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. Vacancies may be filled by a majority of the remaining Trustees, except insofar as the 1940 Act may require the election by shareholders. As a result, normally no annual or regular meetings of shareholders will be held unless matters arise requiring a vote of shareholders under the Agreement and Declaration of Trust or the 1940 Act.

The Trust is not required to and does not intend to hold annual meetings of shareholders.

The Trust’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust – Shareholder Derivative Actions

A shareholder may bring derivative action on behalf of the Trust only if the shareholder or shareholders first make a pre-suit demand upon the Trustees to bring the subject action unless an effort to cause the Trustees to bring such action is excused. A demand on the Trustees shall only be excused if a majority of the Board of Trustees, or a majority of any committee established by the Board to consider the merits of such action, has a personal financial interest in the action at issue.

North Star Investment Management Corp. (the “Adviser”) serves as the investment adviser to the Fund.

The investment objective of the North Star Small Cap Value is to achieve long-term capital appreciation.

The following pages contain more detailed information about the types of instruments in which the Fund may invest, strategies the Adviser may employ in pursuit of the Fund’s investment objective and a summary of related risks.

An equity security (such as a stock, partnership interest or other beneficial interest in an issuer) represents a proportionate share of the ownership of a company. Its value is based on the success of the company’s business, any income paid to stockholders, the value of its assets and general market conditions. Common stocks and preferred stocks are examples of equity securities. Preferred stocks are equity securities that often pay dividends at a specific rate and have a preference over common stocks in dividend payments and liquidation of assets. Some preferred stocks may be convertible into common stock. Convertible securities are securities (such as debt securities or preferred stock) that may be converted into or exchanged for a specified amount of common stock of the same or different issuer within a particular period of time at a specified price or formula.

The risks of investing in companies in general include business failure and reliance on erroneous reports. To the extent the Fund is invested in the equity securities of small- or medium-size companies, it will be exposed to the risks of smaller sized companies. Small- and medium-size companies, directly or indirectly, often have narrower markets for their goods and/or services and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more established companies. Furthermore, those companies often have limited product lines or services, markets or financial resources, or are dependent on a small management group. In addition, because these securities are not well-known to the investing public, do not have significant institutional ownership and are followed by relatively few security analysts, there will normally be less publicly available information concerning these securities compared to what is available for the securities of larger companies. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether or not based on fundamental analysis, can decrease the value and liquidity of securities held by the Fund. As a result, their performance can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio.

A preferred stock is a blend of the characteristics of a bond and common stock. It can offer the higher yield of a bond and has priority over common stock in equity ownership, but does not have the seniority of a bond and, unlike common stock, its participation in the issuer’s growth may be limited. Preferred stock has preference over common stock in the receipt of dividends and in any residual assets after payment to creditors should the issuer be dissolved. Although the dividend is set at a fixed annual rate, in some circumstances it can be changed or omitted by the issuer.

The Fund may seek to hedge investments or realize additional gains through short sales. Short sales are transactions in which the Fund sells a security it does not own in anticipation of a decline in the value of that security relative to the long positions held by the Fund. To complete such a transaction, the Fund must borrow the security to make delivery to the buyer. The Fund then is obligated to replace the security borrowed by purchasing it at the market price at or prior to the time of replacement. The price at such time may be more or less than the price at which the security was sold by the Fund. Until the security is replaced, the Fund is required to repay the lender any dividends or interest that accrues during the period of the loan. To borrow the security, the Fund also may be required to pay a premium, which would increase the cost of the security sold. The net proceeds of the short sale will be retained by the broker (or by the Fund’s custodian, Union Bank, National Association (the “Custodian”)) in a special custody account, to the extent necessary to meet margin requirements, until the short position is closed out. The Fund also will incur transaction costs in effecting short sales.

The Fund will incur a loss as a result of the short sale if the price of the security increases between the date of the short sale and the date on which the Fund replaces the borrowed security. Short sales may, however, protect the Fund against the risk of losses in the value of its portfolio securities because any unrealized losses with respect to such portfolio securities should be wholly or partially offset by a corresponding gain in the short position. However, any potential gains in such portfolio securities should be wholly or partially offset by a corresponding loss in the short position. The extent to which such gains or losses are offset will depend upon the amount of securities sold short relative to the amount the Fund owns, either directly or indirectly, and, in the case where the Fund owns convertible securities, changes in the conversion premium. There can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to close out a short position at any particular time or at an acceptable price.

The Fund also must segregate liquid assets equal to the difference between (a) the market value of the securities sold short at the time they were sold short and (b) the value of the collateral deposited with the broker in connection with the short sale (not including the proceeds from the short sale). While the short position is open, the Fund must maintain segregated assets at such a level that the amount segregated plus the amount deposited with the broker as collateral equal the current market value of the securities sold short.

The Fund may invest up to 100% of its net assets in shares of other investment companies, including money market mutual Fund, other mutual Fund or exchange traded Fund (“ETFs”). The Fund’s investments in money market mutual Fund may be used for cash management purposes and to maintain liquidity in order to satisfy redemption requests or pay unanticipated expenses. The Fund limits its investments in securities issued by other investment companies in accordance with the 1940 Act or with certain terms and conditions of applicable exemptive orders issued by the SEC and approved by the Board of Trustees. Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act precludes the Fund from acquiring (i) more than 3% of the total outstanding shares of another investment company; (ii) shares of another investment company having an aggregate value in excess of 5% of the value of the total assets of the Fund; or (iii) shares of another registered investment company and all other investment companies having an aggregate value in excess of 10% of the value of the total assets of the Fund. However, Section 12(d)(1)(F) of the 1940 Act provides that the provisions of paragraph 12(d)(1) shall not apply to securities purchased or otherwise acquired by the Fund if (i) immediately after such purchase or acquisition not more than 3% of the total outstanding shares of such investment company is owned by the Fund and all affiliated persons of the Fund; and (ii) the Fund has not offered or sold, and is not proposing to offer or sell its shares through a principal underwriter or otherwise at a public or offering price that includes a sales load of more than 1 1/2%. SEC Rule 12d1-3 provides, however, that the Fund may rely on the Section 12(d)(1)(F) exemption and charge a sales load in excess of 1 1/2% provided the sales load and any service fee charged does not exceed limits set forth in applicable Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) rules.

If the Fund invests in investment companies, including ETFs, pursuant to Section 12(d)(1)(F), it must comply with the following voting restrictions: when the Fund exercises voting rights, by proxy or otherwise, with respect to investment companies owned by the Fund, the Fund will either seek instruction from the Fund’s shareholders with

regard to the voting of all proxies and vote in accordance with such instructions, or vote the shares held by the Fund in the same proportion as the vote of all other holders of such security. In addition, an investment company purchased by the Fund pursuant to Section 12(d)(1)(F) shall not be required to redeem its shares in an amount exceeding 1% of such investment company’s total outstanding shares in any period of less than thirty days. In addition to the advisory and operational fees the Fund bears directly in connection with its own operation, the Fund also bears its pro rata portion of the advisory and operational expenses incurred indirectly through investments in other investment companies. In addition, ETFs are subject to the following risks that do not apply to conventional mutual Fund: (1) the market price of the ETF’s shares may trade at a discount to their net asset value; (2) an active trading market for an ETF’s shares may not develop or be maintained; or (3) trading of an ETF’s shares may be halted if the listing exchange’s officials deem such action appropriate, the shares are de-listed from the exchange, or the activation of market-wide “circuit breakers” (which are tied to large decreases in stock prices) halts stock trading generally. Additionally, ETFs have management fees, which increase their cost.

An ETF generally is an open-end investment company, unit investment trust or a portfolio of securities deposited with a depository in exchange for depository receipts. The portfolios of ETFs generally consist of common stocks that closely track the performance and dividend yield of specific securities indices, either broad market, sector or international. ETFs provide investors the opportunity to buy or sell throughout the day an entire portfolio of stocks in a single security. Although index mutual funds are similar, they are generally sold and redeemed only once per day at market close. Broad securities market index ETFs include Standard & Poor’s Depository Receipts (“SPDRs”), which are interests in a unit investment trust representing an undivided interest in a portfolio of all of the common stocks of the S&P 500 Index. The ETFs in which the Fund invests are subject to liquidity risk. Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are difficult to purchase or sell, possibly preventing the sale of the security at an advantageous time or price. To the extent that the ETFs in which the Fund invests hold securities of companies with smaller market capitalizations or securities with substantial market risk, they will have a greater exposure to liquidity risk.

The Fund may invest in securities of foreign issuers that are not publicly traded in the United States. The Fund may also invest in American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”), foreign securities traded on a national securities market and may purchase and sell foreign currency on a spot basis and enter into forward currency contracts (see “Forward Currency Contracts,” below).

Depositary Receipts. The Fund may invest its assets in securities of foreign issuers in the form of depositary receipts, including ADRs, EDRs and GDRs, which are securities representing securities of foreign issuers. A purchaser of unsponsored depositary receipts may not have unlimited voting rights and may not receive as much information about the issuer of the underlying securities as with a sponsored depositary receipt. Generally, ADRs, in registered form, are denominated in U.S. dollars and are designed for use in the U.S. securities markets. ADRs are receipts typically issued by a U.S. bank or trust company evidencing ownership of the underlying securities. For purposes of the Fund’s investment policies, ADRs are deemed to have the same classification as the underlying securities they represent. Thus, an ADR representing ownership of common stock will be treated as common stock.

Risks of Investing in Foreign Securities. Investments in foreign securities involve certain inherent risks, including the following:

Political and Economic Factors. Individual foreign economies of certain countries may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross national product, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency, diversification and balance of payments position. The internal politics of certain foreign countries may not be as stable as those of the United States. Governments in certain foreign countries also continue to participate to a significant degree, through ownership interest or regulation, in their respective economies. Action by these governments could include restrictions on foreign investment, nationalization, expropriation of goods or

imposition of taxes, and could have a significant effect on market prices of securities and payment of interest. The economies of many foreign countries are heavily dependent upon international trade and are accordingly affected by the trade policies and economic conditions of their trading partners. Enactment by these trading partners of protectionist trade legislation could have a significant adverse effect upon the securities markets of such countries.

Currency Fluctuations. The Fund may invest in securities denominated in foreign currencies. Accordingly, a change in the value of any such currency against the U.S. dollar will result in a corresponding change in the U.S. dollar value of the Fund’s assets denominated in that currency. Such changes will also affect the Fund’s income. The value of the Fund’s assets may also be affected significantly by currency restrictions and exchange control regulations enacted from time to time.

Market Characteristics. Many foreign securities in which the Fund may invest could be purchased in over-the-counter markets or on exchanges located in the countries in which the principal offices of the issuers of the various securities are located, if that is the best available market. Foreign exchanges and markets may be more volatile than those in the United States. While growing in volume, they usually have substantially less volume than U.S. markets, and the Fund’s foreign securities may be less liquid and more volatile than U.S. securities. Moreover, settlement practices for transactions in foreign markets may differ from those in U.S. markets, and may include delays beyond periods customary in the United States. Foreign security trading practices, including those involving securities settlement where Fund assets may be released prior to receipt of payment or securities, may expose the Fund to increased risk in the event of a failed trade or the insolvency of a foreign broker-dealer.

Legal and Regulatory Matters. Certain foreign countries may have less supervision of securities markets, brokers and issuers of securities, and less financial information available from issuers, than is available in the United States.

Taxes. The interest and dividends payable on certain of the Fund’s foreign portfolio securities may be subject to foreign withholding taxes, thus reducing the net amount of income available for distribution to Fund shareholders.

Costs. To the extent that the Fund invests in foreign securities, its expense ratio is likely to be higher than those of investment companies investing only in domestic securities, because the cost of maintaining the custody of foreign securities is higher.

Emerging Markets. The Fund’s investments in foreign securities may include securities of companies located in developing or emerging markets, which entail additional risks, including: less social, political and economic stability; smaller securities markets and lower trading volume, which may result in less liquidity and greater price volatility; national policies that may restrict the Fund’s investment opportunities, including restrictions on investments in issuers or industries, or expropriation or confiscation of assets or property; and less developed legal structures governing private or foreign investment.

Forward Currency Contracts. The Fund may enter into forward currency contracts in anticipation of changes in currency exchange rates. A forward currency contract is an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract. For example, the Fund might purchase a particular currency or enter into a forward currency contract to preserve the U.S. dollar price of securities it intends to or has contracted to purchase. Alternatively, it might sell a particular currency on either a spot or forward basis to hedge against an anticipated decline in the dollar value of securities it intends to or has contracted to sell. Although this strategy could minimize the risk of loss due to a decline in the value of the hedged currency, it could also limit any potential gain from an increase in the value of the currency.

In considering whether to invest in the securities of a foreign company, the Adviser considers such factors as the characteristics of the particular company, differences between economic trends and the performance of securities markets within the U.S. and those within other countries, and also factors relating to the general economic, governmental and social conditions of the country or countries where the company is located. The extent to which the Fund will be invested in foreign companies and countries and depositary receipts will fluctuate from time to time within the limitations described in the Prospectus, depending on the Adviser’s assessment of prevailing market, economic and other conditions.

The Fund may enter into swap agreements for purposes of attempting to gain exposure to equity or debt securities without actually purchasing those securities, or to hedge a position. Swap agreements are two-party contracts entered into primarily by institutional investors for periods ranging from a day to more than one year. In a standard “swap” transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined investments or instruments. The gross returns to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties are calculated with respect to a “notional amount,” i.e., the return on or increase in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a “basket” of securities representing a particular index.

Most swap agreements entered into by the Fund calculate the obligations of the parties to the agreement on a “net basis.” Consequently, the Fund’s current obligations (or rights) under a swap agreement will generally be equal only to the net amount to be paid or received under the agreement based on the relative values of the positions held by each party to the agreement (the “net amount”). Payments may be made at the conclusion of a swap agreement or periodically during its term.

Swap agreements do not involve the delivery of securities or other underlying assets. Accordingly, if a swap is entered into on a net basis, if the other party to a swap agreement defaults, the Fund’s risk of loss consists of the net amount of payments that the Fund is contractually entitled to receive, if any.

The net amount of the excess, if any, of the Fund’s obligations over its entitlements with respect to a swap agreement entered into on a net basis will be accrued daily and an amount of cash or liquid asset having an aggregate net asset value at least equal to the accrued excess will be maintained in an account with the Custodian. The Fund will also establish and maintain such accounts with respect to its total obligations under any swaps that are not entered into on a net basis. Obligations under swap agreements so covered will not be construed to be “senior securities” for purposes of the Fund’s investment restriction concerning senior securities.

Because they are two-party contracts and because they may have terms of greater than seven days, swap agreements may be considered to be illiquid for the Fund’s illiquid investment limitations. The Fund will not enter into any swap agreement unless the Adviser believes that the other party to the transaction is creditworthy. The Fund bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received under a swap agreement in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a swap agreement counter-party.

The Fund may enter into a swap agreement in circumstances where the Adviser believes that it may be more cost effective or practical than buying the securities represented by such index or a futures contract or an option on such index. The counter-party to any swap agreement will typically be a bank, investment banking firm or broker/dealer. The counter-party will generally agree to pay the Fund the amount, if any, by which the notional amount of the swap agreement would have increased in value had it been invested in the particular stocks represented in the index, plus the dividends that would have been received on those stocks. The Fund will agree to pay to the counter-party a floating rate of interest on the notional amount of the swap agreement plus the amount, if any, by which the notional amount would have decreased in value had it been invested in such stocks. Therefore, the return to the Fund on any swap agreement should be the gain or loss on the notional amount plus dividends on the stocks less the interest paid by the Fund on the notional amount.

The swap market has grown substantially in recent years with a large number of banks and investment banking firms acting both as principals and as agents utilizing standardized swap documentation. As a result, the swap market has become relatively liquid in comparison with the markets for other similar instruments that are traded in the OTC market.

The Fund may invest in a wide range of fixed-income securities, which may include obligations of any rating or maturity.

The Fund may invest in investment grade corporate debt securities and lower-rated corporate debt securities (commonly known as “junk bonds”). Lower-rated or high yield debt securities include corporate high yield debt securities, zero-coupon securities, payment-in kind securities and strips. Investment grade corporate bonds are those rated BBB or better by Standard & Poor’s Rating Service (“S&P”) or Baa or better by Moody’s Investors Service (“Moody’s”). Securities rated BBB by S&P are considered investment grade, but Moody’s considers securities rated Baa to have speculative characteristics. The Fund may also invest in unrated securities.

Junk Bonds. The Fund may invest in junk bonds. Junk bonds generally offer a higher current yield than that available for higher-grade issues. However, lower-rated securities involve higher risks, in that they are especially subject to adverse changes in general economic conditions and in the industries in which the issuers are engaged, to changes in the financial condition of the issuers and to price fluctuations in response to changes in interest rates. During periods of economic downturn or rising interest rates, highly leveraged issuers may experience financial stress that could adversely affect their ability to make payments of interest and principal and increase the possibility of default. In addition, the market for lower-rated debt securities has expanded rapidly in recent years, and its growth paralleled a long economic expansion. At times in recent years, the prices of many lower-rated debt securities declined substantially, reflecting an expectation that many issuers of such securities might experience financial difficulties. As a result, the yields on lower-rated debt securities rose dramatically, but such higher yields did not reflect the value of the income stream that holders of such securities expected, but rather, the risk that holders of such securities could lose a substantial portion of their value as a result of the issuers’ financial restructuring or default. There can be no assurance that such declines will not recur. The market for lower-rated debt issues generally is thinner and less active than that for higher quality securities, which may limit the Fund’s ability to sell such securities at fair value in response to changes in the economy or financial markets. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether or not based on fundamental analysis, may also decrease the values and liquidity of lower-rated securities, especially in a thinly traded market. Changes by recognized rating services in their rating of a fixed-income security may affect the value of these investments. The Fund will not necessarily dispose of a security when its rating is reduced below its rating at the time of purchase. However, the Adviser will monitor the investment to determine whether continued investment in the security will assist in meeting the Fund’s investment objective.

Corporate Debt Securities. Corporate debt securities are fixed-income securities issued by businesses to finance their operations, although corporate debt instruments may also include bank loans to companies. Notes, bonds, debentures and commercial paper are the most common types of corporate debt securities, with the primary difference being their maturities and secured or unsecured status. Commercial paper has the shortest term and is usually unsecured.

The broad category of corporate debt securities includes debt issued by domestic or foreign companies of all kinds, including those with small-, mid- and large-capitalizations. Corporate debt may be rated investment-grade or below investment-grade and may carry variable or floating rates of interest.

Because of the wide range of types and maturities of corporate debt securities, as well as the range of creditworthiness of its issuers, corporate debt securities have widely varying potentials for return and risk profiles. For example, commercial paper issued by a large established domestic corporation that is rated investment-grade may have a modest return on principal, but carries relatively limited risk. On the other hand, a long-term corporate

note issued by a small foreign corporation from an emerging market country that has not been rated may have the potential for relatively large returns on principal, but carries a relatively high degree of risk.

Corporate debt securities carry both credit risk and interest rate risk. Credit risk is the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer of a corporate debt security is unable to pay interest or repay principal when it is due. Some corporate debt securities that are rated below investment-grade are generally considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss, including default, than higher quality debt securities. The credit risk of a particular issuer’s debt security may vary based on its priority for repayment. For example, higher ranking (senior) debt securities have a higher priority than lower ranking (subordinated) securities. This means that the issuer might not make payments on subordinated securities while continuing to make payments on senior securities. In addition, in the event of bankruptcy, holders of higher-ranking senior securities may receive amounts otherwise payable to the holders of more junior securities. Interest rate risk is the risk that the value of certain corporate debt securities will tend to fall when interest rates rise. In general, corporate debt securities with longer terms tend to fall more in value when interest rates rise than corporate debt securities with shorter terms.

Zero-Coupon Securities. Zero-coupon securities make no periodic interest payments, but are sold at a deep discount from their face value. The buyer recognizes a rate of return determined by the gradual appreciation of the security, which is redeemed at face value on a specified maturity date. The discount varies depending on the time remaining until maturity, as well as market interest rates, liquidity of the security and the issuer’s perceived credit quality. If the issuer defaults, the holder may not receive any return on its investment. Because zero-coupon securities bear no interest and compound semiannually at the rate fixed at the time of issuance, their value generally is more volatile than the value of other fixed-income securities. Since zero-coupon bondholders do not receive interest payments, when interest rates rise, zero-coupon securities fall more dramatically in value than bonds paying interest on a current basis. When interest rates fall, zero-coupon securities rise more rapidly in value because the bonds reflect a fixed rate of return. An investment in zero-coupon and delayed interest securities may cause the Fund to recognize income and make distributions to shareholders before it receives any cash payments on its investment.

Unrated Debt Securities. Unrated debt, while not necessarily lower in quality than rated securities, may not have as broad a market. Because of the size and perceived demand for the issue, among other factors, certain issuers may decide not to pay the cost of getting a rating for their bonds. The creditworthiness of the issuer, as well as any financial institution or other party responsible for payments on the security, will be analyzed to determine whether to purchase unrated bonds.

There is a risk that an issuer may redeem a bond prior to the stated maturity date. The early redemption may occur through a call provision that allows the issuer to retire the bonds on a certain date at a predetermined price. The details of the call and/or sinking fund are typically outlined in the bond indenture. If bonds are redeemed earlier than anticipated, either through a call or sinking fund, the Fund may incur a loss.

Municipal Debt Obligations. The Fund may invest in municipal obligations. Municipal securities generally are fixed-income securities, and include debt obligations issued by governmental entities to obtain Fund for various public purposes, including the construction of a wide range of public facilities, the refunding of outstanding obligations, the payment of general operating expenses, and the extension of loans to public institutions and facilities. In some cases, municipal obligations are represented by custodial receipts evidencing rights to receive specific future interest payments, principal payments, or both, on the underlying municipal securities held by the custodian. Under such arrangements, the holder of the custodial receipt has the option to tender the underlying municipal securities at its face value to the sponsor (usually a bank or broker dealer or other financial institution), which is paid periodic fees equal to the difference between the bond’s fixed coupon rate and the rate that would cause the bond, coupled with the tender option, to trade at par on the date of a rate adjustment.

Taxable Obligations. The Fund may invest in taxable municipal obligations. Taxable municipal obligations are typically issued by municipalities or their agencies for purposes which do not qualify for federal tax

exemption, but do qualify for state and local tax exemption. These debt obligations are issued to finance the cost of buying, building or improving various projects, such as sporting facilities, health care facilities, housing projects, electric, water and sewer utilities, and colleges or universities. Generally, payments on these debt obligations depend on the revenues generated by the projects, excise taxes or state appropriations, or the debt obligations can be backed by the government’s taxing power. Due to federal taxation, taxable municipal obligations offer yields more comparable to other taxable sectors such as corporate bonds or agency bonds than to other municipal obligations. These debt obligations are federally taxable to individuals but may be exempt from state and local taxes.

Tax-Exempt Obligations. The Fund may invest in Tax-Exempt Obligations. Tax-Exempt Obligations include debt obligations issued by governmental entities to obtain Fund for various public purposes, such as the construction of a wide range of public facilities, the refunding of outstanding obligations, the payment of general operating expenses, and the extension of loans to other public institutions and facilities. Private activity bonds that are issued by or on behalf of public authorities to finance various privately-operated facilities are included within the term Tax-Exempt Obligations if the interest paid thereon is both exempt from federal income tax and not treated as a preference item for individuals for purposes of the federal alternative minimum tax.

The two principal classifications of Tax-Exempt Obligations consist of “general obligation” and “revenue” issues. General obligation bonds are typically backed by the full faith and credit of the issuer, whereas revenue bonds are payable from a specific project or other limited source of revenue. The Fund may also acquire “moral obligation” issues, which are normally issued by special purpose authorities.

The Fund may invest in convertible securities. A convertible security is a fixed-income security (a debt instrument or a preferred stock) which may be converted at a stated price within a specified period of time into a certain quantity of the common stock of the same or a different issuer. Convertible securities are senior to common stocks in an issuer’s capital structure, but are usually subordinated to similar non-convertible securities. While providing a fixed-income stream (generally higher in yield than the income derivable from common stock but lower than that afforded by a similar non-convertible security), a convertible security also gives an investor the opportunity, through its conversion feature, to participate in the capital appreciation of the issuing company depending upon a market price advance in the convertible security’s underlying common stock.

The Fund may invest in warrants. A warrant gives the holder a right to purchase at any time during a specified period a predetermined number of shares of common stock at a fixed price. Unlike convertible debt securities or preferred stock, warrants do not pay a fixed coupon or dividend. Investments in warrants involve certain risks, including the possible lack of a liquid market for resale of the warrants, potential price fluctuations as a result of speculation or other factors and failure of the price of the underlying security to reach or have reasonable prospects of reaching a level at which the warrant can be prudently exercised (in which event the warrant may expire without being exercised, resulting in a loss of the Fund’s entire investment therein).

The Fund may borrow money for investment purposes, which is a form of leveraging. Leveraging investments, by purchasing securities with borrowed money, is a speculative technique that increases investment risk while increasing investment opportunity. Leverage will magnify changes in the Fund’s net asset value and on the Fund’s investments. Although the principal of such borrowings will be fixed, the Fund’s assets may change in value during the time the borrowing is outstanding. Leverage also creates interest expenses for the Fund. To the extent the income derived from securities purchased with borrowed Fund exceeds the interest the Fund will have to pay, the Fund’s net income will be greater than it would be if leverage were not used. Conversely, if the income from the assets obtained with borrowed Fund is not sufficient to cover the cost of leveraging, the net income of the Fund will be less than it would be if leverage were not used, and therefore the amount available for distribution to

shareholders as dividends will be reduced. The use of derivatives in connection with leverage creates the potential for significant loss.

The Fund may also borrow Fund to meet redemptions or for other emergency purposes. Such borrowings may be on a secured or unsecured basis at fixed or variable rates of interest. The 1940 Act requires the Fund to maintain continuous asset coverage of not less than 300% with respect to all borrowings. If such asset coverage should decline to less than 300% due to market fluctuations or other reasons, the Fund may be required to dispose of some of its portfolio holdings within three days in order to reduce the Fund’s debt and restore the 300% asset coverage, even though it may be disadvantageous from an investment standpoint to dispose of assets at that time.

The Fund also may be required to maintain minimum average balances in connection with such borrowing or to pay a commitment or other fee to maintain a line of credit. Either of these requirements would increase the cost of borrowing over the stated interest rate.

Borrowing by the Fund creates an opportunity for increased net income, but at the same time, creates special risk considerations. For example, leveraging may exaggerate the effect on net asset value of any increase or decrease in the market value of the Fund’s portfolio.

The Fund may lend securities from its portfolio to brokers, dealers and financial institutions (but not individuals) in order to increase the return on its portfolio. The value of the loaned securities may not exceed one-third of a Fund’s total net assets and loans of portfolio securities are fully collateralized based on values that are marked-to-market daily. The Fund will not enter into any portfolio security lending arrangement having a duration of longer than one year. The principal risk of portfolio lending is potential default or insolvency of the borrower. In either of these cases, the Fund could experience delays in recovering securities or collateral or could lose all or part of the value of the loaned securities. The Fund may pay reasonable administrative and custodial fees in connection with loans of portfolio securities and may pay a portion of the interest or fee earned thereon to the borrower or a placing broker.

In determining whether or not to lend a security to a particular broker, dealer or financial institution, the Adviser considers all relevant facts and circumstances, including the size, creditworthiness and reputation of the broker, dealer or financial institution. Any loans of portfolio securities are fully collateralized based on values that are marked-to-market daily. Any securities that the Fund may receive as collateral will not become part of the Fund’s investment portfolio at the time of the loan and, in the event of a default by the borrower, the Fund will, if permitted by law, dispose of such collateral except for such part thereof that is a security in which the Fund is permitted to invest. During the time securities are on loan, the borrower will pay the Fund any accrued income on those securities, however, such payments of accrued income will not constitute “qualified dividend” income and will be taxable as ordinary income. For loaned securities, the Fund may invest the cash collateral and earn income or receive an agreed-upon fee from a borrower that has delivered cash-equivalent collateral. The Fund will be responsible for the risks associated with the investment of the cash collateral, including the risk that the Fund may lose money on the investment or may fail to earn sufficient income to meet its obligations to the borrower.

General. The Fund may use certain options (both traded on an exchange and over-the-counter (“OTC”)), futures contracts (sometimes referred to as “futures”) and options on futures contracts (collectively, “Financial Instruments”) as a substitute for a comparable market position in the underlying security, to attempt to hedge or limit the exposure of the Fund’s position, to create a synthetic money market position, for certain tax-related purposes and to effect closing transactions.

The use of Financial Instruments is subject to applicable regulations of the SEC, the several exchanges upon which they are traded and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the “CFTC”). In addition, the Fund’s ability to use Financial Instruments will be limited by tax considerations. In addition to the instruments, strategies and risks

described below and in the Prospectus, the Fund’s Adviser may discover additional opportunities in connection with Financial Instruments and other similar or related techniques. These new opportunities may become available as the Adviser develops new techniques, as regulatory authorities broaden the range of permitted transactions and as new Financial Instruments or other techniques are developed. The Adviser may utilize these opportunities to the extent that they are consistent with the Fund’s investment objective and permitted by the Fund’s investment limitations and applicable regulatory authorities. The Prospectus or this SAI will be supplemented to the extent that new products or techniques involve materially different risks than those described below or in the Prospectus.

Special Risks. The use of Financial Instruments involves special considerations and risks, certain of which are described below. Risks pertaining to particular Financial Instruments are described in the sections that follow.

(1) Successful use of most Financial Instruments depends upon the Adviser’s ability to predict movements of the overall securities markets, which requires different skills than predicting changes in the prices of individual securities. The ordinary spreads between prices in the cash and futures markets, due to the differences in the natures of those markets, are subject to distortion. Due to the possibility of distortion, a correct forecast of stock market trends by the Adviser may still not result in a successful transaction. The Adviser may be incorrect in their expectations as to the extent of market movements or the time span within which the movements take place, which, thus, may result in the strategy being unsuccessful.

(2) Options and futures prices can diverge from the prices of their underlying instruments. Options and futures prices are affected by such factors as current and anticipated short-term interest rates, changes in volatility of the underlying instrument and the time remaining until expiration of the contract, which may not affect security prices the same way. Imperfect or no correlation also may result from differing levels of demand in the options and futures markets and the securities markets, from structural differences in how options and futures and securities are traded and from imposition of daily price fluctuation limits or trading halts.

(3) As described below, the Fund might be required to maintain assets as “cover,” maintain segregated accounts or make margin payments when it takes positions in Financial Instruments involving obligations to third parties (e.g., Financial Instruments other than purchased options). If the Fund were unable to close out its positions in such Financial Instruments, it might be required to continue to maintain such assets or accounts or make such payments until the position expired or matured. These requirements might impair the Fund’s ability to sell a portfolio security or make an investment when it would otherwise be favorable to do so or require that the Fund sell a portfolio security at a disadvantageous time. The Fund’s ability to close out a position in a Financial Instrument prior to expiration or maturity depends on the existence of a liquid secondary market or, in the absence of such a market, the ability and willingness of the other party to the transaction (the “counter-party”) to enter into a transaction closing out the position. Therefore, there is no assurance that any position can be closed out at a time and price that is favorable to the Fund.

(4) Losses may arise due to unanticipated market price movements, lack of a liquid secondary market for any particular instrument at a particular time or due to losses from premiums paid by the Fund on options transactions.

Cover. Transactions using Financial Instruments, other than purchased options, expose the Fund to an obligation to another party. The Fund will not enter into any such transactions unless it owns either (1) an offsetting (“covered”) position in securities or other options or futures contracts or (2) cash and liquid assets with a value, marked-to-market daily, sufficient to cover its potential obligations to the extent not covered as provided in (1) above. The Fund will comply with SEC guidelines regarding cover for these instruments and will, if the guidelines so require, set aside cash or liquid assets in an account with its Custodian, or another approved custodian, in the prescribed amount as determined daily.

Assets used as cover or held in an account cannot be sold while the position in the corresponding Financial Instrument is open, unless they are replaced with other appropriate assets. As a result, the commitment of a large

portion of the Fund’s assets to cover accounts could impede portfolio management or the Fund’s ability to meet redemption requests or other current obligations.

Options. The value of an option position will reflect, among other things, the current market value of the underlying investment, the time remaining until expiration, the relationship of the exercise price to the market price of the underlying investment and general market conditions. Options that expire unexercised have no value. Options currently are traded on the Chicago Board Options Exchange, the NYSE Amex Options exchange and other exchanges, as well as the OTC markets.

By buying a call option on a security, the Fund has the right, in return for the premium paid, to buy the security underlying the option at the exercise price. By writing (selling) a call option and receiving a premium, the Fund becomes obligated during the term of the option to deliver securities underlying the option at the exercise price if the option is exercised. By buying a put option, the Fund has the right, in return for the premium, to sell the security underlying the option at the exercise price. By writing a put option, the Fund becomes obligated during the term of the option to purchase the securities underlying the option at the exercise price.

Because options premiums paid or received by the Fund are small in relation to the market value of the investments underlying the options, buying and selling put and call options can be more speculative than investing directly in securities.

The Fund may effectively terminate its right or obligation under an option by entering into a closing transaction. For example, the Fund may terminate its obligation under a call or put option that it had written, by purchasing an identical call or put option. This is known as a closing purchase transaction. Conversely, the Fund may terminate a position in a put or call option it had purchased by writing an identical put or call option. This is known as a closing sale transaction. Closing transactions permit the Fund to realize profits or limit losses on an option position prior to its exercise or expiration.

Risks of Options on Securities. Exchange-traded options in the United States are issued by a clearing organization affiliated with the exchange on which the option is listed that, in effect, guarantees completion of every exchange-traded option transaction. In contrast, OTC options are contracts between the Fund and its counter-party (usually a securities dealer or a bank) with no clearing organization guarantee. Thus, when the Fund purchases an OTC option, it relies on the counter-party from whom it purchased the option to make or take delivery of the underlying investment upon exercise of the option. Failure by the counter-party to do so would result in the loss of any premium paid by the Fund as well as the loss of any expected benefit of the transaction.

The Fund’s ability to establish and close out positions in exchange-traded options depends on the existence of a liquid market. However, there can be no assurance that such a market will exist at any particular time. Closing transactions can be made for OTC options only by negotiating directly with the counter-party or by a transaction in the secondary market if any such market exists. There can be no assurance that the Fund will in fact be able to close out an OTC option position at a favorable price prior to expiration. In the event of insolvency of the counter-party, the Fund might be unable to close out an OTC option position at any time prior to its expiration.

If the Fund were unable to affect a closing transaction for an option it had purchased, it would have to exercise the option to realize any profit. The inability to enter into a closing purchase transaction for a covered call option written by the Fund could cause material losses because the Fund would be unable to sell the investment used as cover for the written option until the option expires or is exercised.

Options on Indices. An index fluctuates with changes in the market values of the securities included in the index. Options on indices give the holder the right to receive an amount of cash upon exercise of the option. Receipt of this cash amount will depend upon the closing level of the index upon which the option is based being greater than (in the case of a call) or less than (in the case of a put) the exercise price of the option. Some stock index options are based on a broad market index such as the S&P 500 Index, the NYSE Composite Index or the NYSE Arca Major Market Index or on a narrower index such as the Philadelphia Stock Exchange Over-the-Counter Index.

Each of the exchanges has established limitations governing the maximum number of call or put options on the same index that may be bought or written by a single investor, whether acting alone or in concert with others (regardless of whether such options are written on the same or different exchanges or are held or written on one or more accounts or through one or more brokers). Under these limitations, option positions of all investment companies advised by the Adviser are combined for purposes of these limits. Pursuant to these limitations, an exchange may order the liquidation of positions and may impose other sanctions or restrictions. These positions limits may restrict the number of listed options that the Fund may buy or sell.

Puts and calls on indices are similar to puts and calls on securities or futures contracts except that all settlements are in cash and gain or loss depends on changes in the index in question rather than on price movements in individual securities or futures contracts. When the Fund writes a call on an index, it receives a premium and agrees that, prior to the expiration date, the purchaser of the call, upon exercise of the call, will receive from the Fund an amount of cash if the closing level of the index upon which the call is based is greater than the exercise price of the call. The amount of cash is equal to the difference between the closing price of the index and the exercise price of the call times a specified multiple (“multiplier”), which determines the total value for each point of such difference. When the Fund buys a call on an index, it pays a premium and has the same rights to such call as are indicated above. When the Fund buys a put on an index, it pays a premium and has the right, prior to the expiration date, to require the seller of the put, upon the Fund’s exercise of the put, to deliver to the Fund an amount of cash if the closing level of the index upon which the put is based is less than the exercise price of the put, which amount of cash is determined by the multiplier, as described above for calls. When the Fund writes a put on an index, it receives a premium and the purchaser of the put has the right, prior to the expiration date, to require the Fund to deliver to it an amount of cash equal to the difference between the closing level of the index and the exercise price times the multiplier if the closing level is less than the exercise price.

Risks of Options on Indices. If the Fund has purchased an index option and exercises it before the closing index value for that day is available, it runs the risk that the level of the underlying index may subsequently change. If such a change causes the exercised option to fall out-of-the-money, the Fund will be required to pay the difference between the closing index value and the exercise price of the option (times the applicable multiplier) to the assigned writer.

OTC Options. Unlike exchange-traded options, which are standardized with respect to the underlying instrument, expiration date, contract size and strike price, the terms of OTC options (options not traded on exchanges) generally are established through negotiation with the other party to the option contract. While this type of arrangement allows the Fund great flexibility to tailor the option to its needs, OTC options generally involve greater risk than exchange-traded options, which are guaranteed by the clearing organization of the exchanges where they are traded.

Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts. A futures contract obligates the seller to deliver (and the purchaser to take delivery of) the specified security on the expiration date of the contract. An index futures contract obligates the seller to deliver (and the purchaser to take) an amount of cash equal to a specific dollar amount times the difference between the value of a specific index at the close of the last trading day of the contract and the price at which the agreement is made. No physical delivery of the underlying securities in the index is made.

When the Fund writes an option on a futures contract, it becomes obligated, in return for the premium paid, to assume a position in the futures contract at a specified exercise price at any time during the term of the option. If the Fund writes a call, it assumes a short futures position. If it writes a put, it assumes a long futures position. When the Fund purchases an option on a futures contract, it acquires the right in return for the premium it pays to

assume a position in a futures contract (a long position if the option is a call and a short position if the option is a put).

Whether the Fund realizes a gain or loss from futures activities depends upon movements in the underlying security or index. The extent of the Fund’s loss from an unhedged short position in futures contracts or from writing unhedged call options on futures contracts is potentially unlimited. The Fund only purchases and sells futures contracts and options on futures contracts that are traded on a U.S. exchange or board of trade.

No price is paid upon entering into a futures contract. Instead, at the inception of a futures contract the Fund is required to deposit “initial margin” in an amount generally equal to 10% or less of the contract value. Margin also must be deposited when writing a call or put option on a futures contract, in accordance with applicable exchange rules. Unlike margin in securities transactions, initial margin does not represent a borrowing, but rather is in the nature of a performance bond or good-faith deposit that is returned to the Fund at the termination of the transaction if all contractual obligations have been satisfied. Under certain circumstances, such as periods of high volatility, the Fund may be required by an exchange to increase the level of its initial margin payment, and initial margin requirements might be increased generally in the future by regulatory action.

Subsequent “variation margin” payments are made to and from the futures commission merchant daily as the value of the futures position varies, a process known as “marking-to-market.” Variation margin does not involve borrowing, but rather represents a daily settlement of the Fund’s obligations to or from a futures commission merchant. When the Fund purchases an option on a futures contract, the premium paid plus transaction costs is all that is at risk. In contrast, when the Fund purchases or sells a futures contract or writes a call or put option thereon, it is subject to daily variation margin calls that could be substantial in the event of adverse price movements. If the Fund has insufficient cash to meet daily variation margin requirements, it might need to sell securities at a time when such sales are disadvantageous.

Purchasers and sellers of futures contracts and options on futures can enter into offsetting closing transactions, similar to closing transactions in options, by selling or purchasing, respectively, an instrument identical to the instrument purchased or sold. Positions in futures and options on futures contracts may be closed only on an exchange or board of trade that provides a secondary market. However, there can be no assurance that a liquid secondary market will exist for a particular contract at a particular time. In such event, it may not be possible to close a futures contract or options position.

Under certain circumstances, futures exchanges may establish daily limits on the amount that the price of a futures contract or an option on a futures contract can vary from the previous day’s settlement price. Once that limit is reached, no trades may be made that day at a price beyond the limit. Daily price limits do not limit potential losses because prices could move to the daily limit for several consecutive days with little or no trading, thereby preventing liquidation of unfavorable positions.

If the Fund were unable to liquidate a futures contract or an option on a futures position due to the absence of a liquid secondary market or the imposition of price limits, it could incur substantial losses. The Fund would continue to be subject to market risk with respect to the position. In addition, except in the case of purchased options, the Fund would continue to be required to make daily variation margin payments and might be required to maintain cash or liquid assets in an account.

Risks of Futures Contracts and Options Thereon. The ordinary spreads between prices in the cash and futures markets (including the options on futures markets), due to differences in the natures of those markets, are subject to the following factors, which may create distortions. First, all participants in the futures market are subject to margin deposit and maintenance requirements. Rather than meeting additional margin deposit requirements, investors may close futures contracts through offsetting transactions, which could distort the normal relationships between the cash and futures markets. Second, the liquidity of the futures market depends on participants entering into offsetting transactions rather than making or taking delivery. To the extent participants decide to make or take

delivery, liquidity in the futures market could be reduced, thus producing distortion. Third, from the point of view of speculators, the deposit requirements in the futures market are less onerous than margin requirements in the securities market. Therefore, increased participation by speculators in the futures market may cause temporary price distortions.

Combined Positions. The Fund may purchase and write options in combination with each other. For example, the Fund may purchase a put option and write a call option on the same underlying instrument, in order to construct a combined position whose risk and return characteristics are similar to selling a futures contract. Another possible combined position would involve writing a call option at one strike price and buying a call option at a lower price, in order to reduce the risk of the written call option in the event of a substantial price increase. Because combined options positions involve multiple trades, they result in higher transaction costs and may be more difficult to open and close out.

The Fund may invest in publicly traded partnerships, including Master Limited Partnerships (“MLPs”). These are limited partnerships the interests in which (known as "units") are traded on public exchanges, just like corporate stock. Such limited partnerships provide an investor with a direct interest in a group of assets (generally, oil and gas properties). Publicly traded partnership units typically trade publicly, like stock, and thus may provide the investor more liquidity than ordinary limited partnerships. Publicly traded partnerships are also called master limited partnerships and public limited partnerships. A limited partnership has one or more general partners (they may be individuals, corporations, partnerships or another entity) which manage the partnership, and limited partners, which provide capital to the partnership but have no role in its management. When an investor buys units in a publicly traded partnership, he or she becomes a limited partner. Publicly traded partnerships are formed in several ways. A non-traded partnership may decide to go public. Several non-traded partnerships may "roll up" into a single publicly traded partnership. A corporation may spin off a group of assets or part of its business into a partnership of which it is the general partner, either to realize what it believes to be the assets' full value or as an alternative to issuing debt. A corporation may fully convert to a partnership, although since 1986 the tax consequences have made this unappealing; or, a newly formed company may operate as a publicly traded partnership from its inception.

There are different types of risks to investing in publicly traded partnerships including regulatory risks and interest rate risks. Currently most partnerships enjoy pass through taxation of their income to partners, which avoids double taxation of earnings. If the government were to change publicly traded partnerships business tax structure, unitholders would not be able to enjoy the relatively high yields in the sector for long. In addition, publicly traded partnerships which charge government-regulated fees for transportation of oil and gas products through their pipelines are subject to unfavorable changes in government-approved rates and fees, which would affect a publicly traded partnerships revenue stream negatively. Publicly traded partnerships also carry some interest rate risks. During increases in interest rates, publicly traded partnerships may not produce meaningful returns to shareholders.

The Fund may invest in the securities of real estate investment trusts (“REITs”). REITs offer investors greater liquidity and diversification than direct ownership of properties. A REIT is a corporation or business trust that invests substantially all of its assets in interests in real estate. Equity REITs are those which purchase or lease land and buildings and generate income primarily from rental income. Equity REITs may also realize capital gains (or losses) when selling property that has appreciated (or depreciated) in value. Mortgage REITs are those that invest in real estate mortgages and generate income primarily from interest payments on mortgage loans. Hybrid REITs generally invest in both real property and mortgages. Unlike corporations, REITs do not pay income taxes if they meet certain IRS requirements. Real estate related equity securities also include those insured by real estate developers, companies with substantial real estate holdings (for investment or as part of their operations), as well as companies whose products and services are directly related to the real estate industry, such as building supply manufacturers, mortgage lenders or mortgage servicing companies. Like any investment in real estate, though, a REITs performance depends on several factors, such as its ability to find tenants, renew leases and finance property purchases and renovations. Other risks associated with REIT investments include the fact that equity and mortgage

REITs are dependent upon specialized management skills and are not fully diversified. These characteristics subject REITs to the risks associated with financing a limited number of projects. They are also subject to heavy cash flow dependency, defaults by borrowers, and self-liquidation. Additionally, equity REITs may be affected by any changes in the value of the underlying property owned by the trusts, and mortgage REITs may be affected by the quality of any credit extended. By investing in REITs indirectly through the Fund, a shareholder bears not only a proportionate share of the expenses of the Fund, but also may indirectly bear similar expenses of some of the REITs in which it invests.

Under normal market conditions, the Fund will stay fully invested according to its principal investment strategies as noted above. The Fund, however, may temporarily depart from its principal investment strategies by making short-term investments in cash, cash equivalents, and high-quality, short-term debt securities and money market instruments for temporary defensive purposes in response to adverse market, economic or political conditions, or other events (including, for example, terrorism, war, natural disasters and disease/virus epidemics). This may result in the Fund not achieving its investment objectives during that period.

Money Market Mutual Fund. The Fund may invest in money market mutual Fund in connection with its management of daily cash positions or as a temporary defensive measure. Generally, money market mutual Fund seek to earn income consistent with the preservation of capital and maintenance of liquidity. They primarily invest in high quality money market obligations, including securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or its agencies and instrumentalities, bank obligations and high-grade corporate instruments. These investments generally mature within 397 days from the date of purchase. An investment in a money market mutual fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any government agency. The Fund’s investments in money market mutual Fund may be used for cash management purposes and to maintain liquidity in order to satisfy redemption requests or pay unanticipated expenses.

Your cost of investing in the Fund will generally be higher than the cost of investing directly in the underlying money market mutual fund shares. You will indirectly bear fees and expenses charged by the underlying money market mutual Fund in addition to the Fund’s direct fees and expenses. Furthermore, the use of this strategy could affect the timing, amount and character of distributions to you and therefore may increase the amount of taxes payable by you.

Bank Certificates of Deposit, Bankers’ Acceptances and Time Deposits. The Fund may acquire certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances and time deposits. Certificates of deposit are negotiable certificates issued against monies deposited in a commercial bank for a definite period of time and earning a specified return. Bankers’ acceptances are negotiable drafts or bills of exchange, normally drawn by an importer or exporter to pay for specific merchandise, which are “accepted” by a bank, meaning in effect that the bank unconditionally agrees to pay the face value of the instrument on maturity. Certificates of deposit and bankers’ acceptances acquired by the Fund will be dollar-denominated obligations of domestic or foreign banks or financial institutions which at the time of purchase have capital, surplus and undivided profits in excess of $100 million (including assets of both domestic and foreign branches), based on latest published reports, or less than $100 million if the principal amount of such bank obligations are fully insured by the U.S. Government.

Domestic banks and foreign banks are subject to different governmental regulations with respect to the amount and types of loans that may be made and interest rates that may be charged. In addition, the profitability of the banking industry depends largely upon the availability and cost of Fund for the purpose of financing lending operations under prevailing money market conditions. General economic conditions as well as exposure to credit losses arising from possible financial difficulties of borrowers play an important part in the operations of the banking industry.

As a result of federal and state laws and regulations, domestic banks are, among other things, required to maintain specified levels of reserves, limited in the amount which they can loan to a single borrower and subject to other regulations designed to promote financial soundness. However, such laws and regulations do not necessarily apply to foreign bank obligations that the Fund may acquire.

In addition to purchasing certificates of deposit and bankers’ acceptances, to the extent permitted under the investment objective and policies stated above and in the Prospectus, the Fund may make interest-bearing time or other interest-bearing deposits in commercial or savings banks. Time deposits are non-negotiable deposits maintained at a banking institution for a specified period of time at a specified interest rate.

Savings Association Obligations. The Fund may invest in certificates of deposit (interest-bearing time deposits) issued by savings banks or savings and loan associations that have capital, surplus and undivided profits in excess of $100 million, based on latest published reports, or less than $100 million if the principal amount of such obligations is fully insured by the U.S. Government.

Commercial Paper, Short-Term Notes and Other Corporate Obligations. The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in commercial paper and short-term notes. Commercial paper consists of unsecured promissory notes issued by corporations. Issues of commercial paper and short-term notes will normally have maturities of less than nine months and fixed rates of return, although such instruments may have maturities of up to one year.

Commercial paper and short-term notes will consist of issues rated at the time of purchase “A-2” or higher by S&P, “Prime-1” or “Prime-2” by Moody’s, or similarly rated by another nationally recognized statistical rating organization or, if unrated, will be determined by the Adviser to be of comparable quality.

Corporate obligations include bonds and notes issued by corporations to finance longer-term credit needs than supported by commercial paper. While such obligations generally have maturities of ten years or more, the Fund may purchase corporate obligations which have remaining maturities of one year or less from the date of purchase and which are rated “A” or higher by S&P or “A” or higher by Moody’s.

The Fund may invest in certain types of asset-backed securities. Asset-backed securities are securities issued by trusts and special purpose entities that are backed by pools of assets, such as automobile and credit-card receivables and home equity loans, which pass through the payments on the underlying obligations to the security holders (less servicing fees paid to the originator or fees for any credit enhancement). Typically, the originator of the loan or accounts receivable paper transfers it to a specially created trust, which repackages it as securities with a minimum denomination and a specific term. The securities are then privately placed or publicly offered. Examples include certificates for automobile receivables and so-called plastic bonds, backed by credit card receivables.

The value of an asset-backed security is affected by, among other things, changes in the market’s perception of the asset backing the security, the creditworthiness of the servicing agent for the loan pool, the originator of the loans and the financial institution providing any credit enhancement. Payments of principal and interest passed through to holders of asset-backed securities are frequently supported by some form of credit enhancement, such as a letter of credit, surety bond, limited guarantee by another entity or by having a priority to certain of the borrower’s other assets. The degree of credit enhancement varies, and generally applies to only a portion of the asset-backed security’s par value. Value is also affected if any credit enhancement has been exhausted.

The Fund may invest in various types of U.S. Government obligations. U.S. Government obligations include securities issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities, such as the U.S. Treasury. U.S. Government obligations may include securities such as Treasury Inflation Protected Securities, or “TIPS.” Payment of principal and interest on U.S. Government obligations may be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States or may be backed solely by the issuing or guaranteeing agency or instrumentality itself. In the latter case, the investor must look principally to the agency or instrumentality issuing or guaranteeing the obligation for ultimate repayment, which agency or instrumentality may be privately owned. There can be no assurance that the U.S. Government would provide financial support to its agencies or instrumentalities (including government-sponsored enterprises) where it is not obligated to do so. See also “Mortgage-Backed Securities,” below.

The Fund may invest in mortgage-backed securities. A mortgage-backed security is a type of pass-through security, which is a security representing pooled debt obligations repackaged as interests that pass income through an intermediary to investors. In the case of mortgage-backed securities, the ownership interest is in a pool of mortgage loans.

Mortgage-backed securities are most commonly issued or guaranteed by the Government National Mortgage Association (“GNMA”), Federal National Mortgage Association (“FNMA”), Federal Home Loan Banks (“FHLB”) or Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“FHLMC”), but may also be issued or guaranteed by other private issuers. GNMA is a government-owned corporation that is an agency of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. It guarantees, with the full faith and credit of the United States, full and timely payment of all monthly principal and interest on its mortgage-backed securities. FNMA is a publicly owned, government-sponsored corporation that mostly packages mortgages backed by the Federal Housing Administration, but also sells some non-governmentally backed mortgages. Pass-through securities issued by FNMA are guaranteed as to timely payment of principal and interest only by FNMA. The FHLMC is a publicly chartered agency that buys qualifying residential mortgages from lenders, re-packages them and provides certain guarantees. Pass-through securities issued by the FHLMC are guaranteed as to timely payment of principal and interest only by the FHLMC.

Some of these obligations are supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury. Others are supported by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury. Others are supported by the discretionary authority of the U.S. Government to purchase the agency’s obligations. Still others are supported only by the credit of the instrumentality. No assurance can be given that the U.S. Government would provide, or continue to provide, financial support to U.S. Government-sponsored instrumentalities if it is not obligated to do so by law. As a result, there is a risk that these entities will default on a financial obligation.

The U.S. Treasury has historically had the authority to purchase obligations of FNMA and FHLMC (collectively, the “GSEs”). However, in 2008, due to capitalization concerns, Congress provided the U.S. Treasury with additional authority to lend the GSEs emergency Fund and to purchase their stock. In September 2008, those capital concerns led the U.S. Treasury and the Federal Housing Finance Authority (“FHFA”) to announce that the GSEs had been placed in conservatorship.

Since that time, the GSEs have received significant capital support through U.S. Treasury preferred stock purchases as well as U.S. Treasury and Federal Reserve purchases of their mortgage backed securities (“MBS”). While the MBS purchase programs ended in 2010, the U.S. Treasury announced in December 2009 that it would continue its support for the entities’ capital as necessary to prevent a negative net worth. However, no assurance can be given that the Federal Reserve, U.S. Treasury, or FHFA initiatives will ensure that the GSEs will remain successful in meeting their obligations with respect to the debt and MBS they issue into the future.

In 2012 the FHFA initiated a strategic plan to develop a program of credit risk transfer intended to reduce Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s overall risk through the creation of credit risk transfer assets (“CRTs”). CRTs come in two primary series: Structured Agency Credit Risk (“STACRs”) for Freddie Mac and Connecticut Avenue Securities (“CAS”) for Fannie May, although other series may be developed in the future. CRTs are typically structured as unsecured general obligations of the GSEs and their cash flows are based on the performance of a pool of reference loans. Unlike traditional residential MBS securities, bond payments typically do not come directly from the underlying mortgages and are instead remitted by the GSEs to CRT investors. CRTs are typically floating rate securities and may have multiple tranches with losses first allocated to the most junior or subordinate tranche and this structure results in increased sensitivity to dramatic housing downturns, especially for the subordinate tranches. Many CRTs also have collateral performance triggers (e.g., based on credit enhancement, delinquencies or defaults, etc.) that could shut off principal payments to subordinate tranches. Generally, GSEs are required to buy back all of the CRT tranches at par in 10 years.

In addition, the future of the GSEs is in serious question as the U.S. Government is considering multiple options, ranging on a spectrum from significant reform, nationalization, privatization, consolidation, or abolishment of the entities. Congress is considering several pieces of legislation that would reform the GSEs, proposing to address their structure, mission, portfolio limits, and guarantee fees, among other issues.

The FHFA and the U.S. Treasury (through its agreement to purchase GSE preferred stock) have imposed strict limits on the size of GSEs’ mortgage portfolios. In August 2012, the U.S. Treasury amended its preferred stock purchase agreements to provide that the GSEs’ portfolios will be wound down at an annual rate of 15 percent (up from the previously agreed annual rate of 10 percent), requiring the GSEs to reach the $250 billion target by December 31, 2018. In 2017, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac reduced their mortgage portfolios appropriately and, as a result, each met the December 31, 2017 portfolio targets of $288 billion. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are also now below the $250 billion cap for year-end 2018.

Mortgage-backed securities may have either fixed or adjustable interest rates. Tax or regulatory changes may adversely affect the mortgage securities market. In addition, changes in the market’s perception of the issuer may affect the value of mortgage-backed securities. The rate of return on mortgage-backed securities may be affected by prepayments of principal on the underlying loans, which generally increase as market interest rates decline; as a result, when interest rates decline, holders of these securities normally do not benefit from appreciation in market value to the same extent as holders of other non-callable debt securities.

Because many mortgages are repaid early, the actual maturity and duration of mortgage backed securities are typically shorter than their stated final maturity and their duration calculated solely on the basis of the stated life and payment schedule. In calculating its dollar weighted average maturity and duration, the Fund may apply certain industry conventions regarding the maturity and duration of mortgage-backed instruments. Different analysts use different models and assumptions in making these determinations. The Fund uses an approach that the Manager believes is reasonable in light of all relevant circumstances. If this determination is not borne out in practice, it could positively or negatively affect the value of the Fund when market interest rates change. Increasing market interest rates generally extend the effective maturities of mortgage-backed securities, increasing their sensitivity to interest rate changes.

Collateralized mortgage obligations (“CMOs”) are debt obligations collateralized by mortgage loans or mortgage pass-through securities (collateral collectively hereinafter referred to as “Mortgage Assets”). Multi-class pass-through securities are interests in a trust composed of Mortgage Assets and all references in this section to CMOs include multi-class pass-through securities. Principal prepayments on the Mortgage Assets may cause the CMOs to be retired substantially earlier than their stated maturities or final distribution dates, resulting in a loss of all or part of the premium if any has been paid. Interest is paid or accrues on all classes of the CMOs on a monthly, quarterly or semiannual basis. The principal and interest payments on the Mortgage Assets may be allocated among the various classes of CMOs in several ways. Typically, payments of principal, including any prepayments, on the underlying mortgages are applied to the classes in the order of their respective stated maturities or final distribution dates, so that no payment of principal is made on CMOs of a class until all CMOs of other classes having earlier stated maturities or final distribution dates have been paid in full.

Stripped mortgage-backed securities (“SMBS”) are derivative multi-class mortgage securities. The Fund will only invest in SMBS whose mortgage assets are U.S. Government obligations and are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. SMBS are usually structured with two classes that receive different proportions of the interest and principal distributions from a pool of mortgage assets. A common type of SMBS will be structured so that one class receives some of the interest and most of the principal from the mortgage assets, while the other class receives most of the interest and the remainder of the principal. If the underlying mortgage assets experience greater than anticipated prepayments of principal, the Fund may fail to fully recoup its initial investment in these securities. The market value of any class which consists primarily or entirely of principal payments is generally unusually volatile in response to changes in interest rates.

Investment in mortgage-backed securities poses several risks, including among others, prepayment, market and credit risk. Prepayment risk reflects the risk that borrowers may prepay their mortgages faster than expected, thereby affecting the investment’s average life and perhaps its yield. Whether a mortgage loan is prepaid is almost entirely controlled by the borrower. Borrowers are most likely to exercise prepayment options at the time when it is least advantageous to investors, generally prepaying mortgages as interest rates fall, and slowing payments as interest rates rise. Besides the effect of prevailing interest rates, the rate of prepayment and refinancing of mortgages may also be affected by home value appreciation, ease of the refinancing process and local economic conditions. Market risk reflects the risk that the price of a security may fluctuate over time. The price of mortgage-backed securities may be particularly sensitive to prevailing interest rates, the length of time the security is expected to be outstanding and the liquidity of the issue. In a period of unstable interest rates, there may be decreased demand for certain types of mortgage-backed securities, and the Fund, to the extent that it is invested in such securities and desires to sell them, may find it difficult to find a buyer, which may in turn decrease the price at which they may be sold. Credit risk reflects the risk that the Fund may not receive all or part of its principal because the issuer or credit enhancer has defaulted on its obligations. Obligations issued by U.S. Government-related entities are guaranteed as to the payment of principal and interest, but are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. However, as described above, the U.S. Government has taken steps with respect to FNMA and FHLMC to ensure that they are able to fulfill their financial obligations. The performance of private label mortgage-backed securities, issued by private institutions, is based on the financial health of those institutions. With respect to GNMA certificates, although GNMA guarantees timely payment even if homeowners delay or default, tracking the “pass-through” payments may, at times, be difficult.

The Fund may invest in repurchase agreements fully collateralized by obligations issued by the U.S. government or agencies of the U.S. government ("U.S. Government Obligations"). A repurchase agreement is a short term investment in which the purchaser (i.e., the Fund) acquires ownership of a U.S. Government Obligation (which may be of any maturity) and the seller agrees to repurchase the obligation at a future time at a set price, thereby determining the yield during the purchaser's holding period (usually not more than 7 days from the date of purchase). Any repurchase transaction in which the Fund engages will require full collateralization of the seller's obligation during the entire term of the repurchase agreement. In the event of a bankruptcy or other default of the seller, the Fund could experience both delays in liquidating the underlying security and losses in value. However,

the Fund intends to enter into repurchase agreements only with the custodian, other banks with assets of $1 billion or more and registered securities dealers determined by the Advisor to be creditworthy. The Advisor monitors the creditworthiness of the banks and securities dealers with which the Fund engages in repurchase transactions.

The Fund may invest in securities that are subject to restrictions on resale because they have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). These securities are sometimes referred to as private placements. Although securities that may be resold only to “qualified institutional buyers” in accordance with the provisions of Rule 144A under the Securities Act are technically considered “restricted securities,” the Fund may purchase Rule 144A securities without regard to the limitation on investments in illiquid securities described below in the “Illiquid Securities” section, provided that a determination is made that such securities have a readily available trading market. The Fund may also purchase certain commercial paper issued in reliance on the exemption from registration in Section 4(2) of the Securities Act (“4(2) Paper”). The Adviser will determine the liquidity of Rule 144A securities and 4(2) Paper under the supervision of the Board of Trustees. The liquidity of Rule 144A securities and 4(2) Paper will be monitored by the Adviser, and if as a result of changed conditions it is determined that a Rule 144A security or 4(2) Paper is no longer liquid, the Fund’s holdings of illiquid securities will be reviewed to determine what, if any, action is required to assure that the Fund does not exceed its applicable percentage limitation for investments in illiquid securities.

Limitations on the resale of restricted securities may have an adverse effect on the marketability of portfolio securities and the Fund might be unable to dispose of restricted securities promptly or at reasonable prices and might thereby experience difficulty satisfying redemption requirements. The Fund might also have to register such restricted securities in order to dispose of them, resulting in additional expense and delay. Adverse market conditions could impede such a public offering of securities.

The Fund may from time to time purchase securities on a “when-issued” basis. The price of such securities, which may be expressed in yield terms, is fixed at the time the commitment to purchase is made, but delivery and payment for the when-issued securities take place at a later date. Normally, the settlement date occurs within one month of the purchase. During the period between purchase and settlement, the Fund makes no payment to the issuer and no interest accrues to the Fund. To the extent that assets of the Fund are held in cash pending the settlement of a purchase of securities, the Fund would earn no income. While when-issued securities may be sold prior to the settlement date, the Fund intends to purchase such securities with the purpose of actually acquiring them unless a sale appears desirable for investment reasons. At the time the Fund makes the commitment to purchase a security on a when-issued basis, it will record the transaction and reflect the value of the security in determining its net asset value. The market value of the when-issued securities may be more or less than the purchase price. The Fund does not believe that its net asset value or income will be adversely affected by the purchase of securities on a when-issued basis. The Fund will segregate liquid assets equal in value to commitments for when-issued securities, which may reduce but does not eliminate leverage.

As a non-principal strategy, the Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets in securities that are illiquid at the time of purchase, which means that there may be legal or contractual restrictions on their disposition, or that there are no readily available market quotations for such a security. Illiquid securities present the risks that the Fund may have difficulty valuing these holdings and/or may be unable to sell these holdings at the time or price desired. There are generally no restrictions on the Fund’s ability to invest in restricted securities (that is, securities that are not registered pursuant to the Securities Act), except to the extent such securities may be considered illiquid. Securities issued pursuant to Rule 144A of the Securities Act will be considered liquid if determined to be so under procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees. The Adviser is responsible for making the determination as to the liquidity of restricted securities (pursuant to the procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees). The Fund will determine a security to be illiquid if it cannot be sold or disposed of in the ordinary course of business within seven days at the value at which the Fund has valued the security. Factors considered in determining whether a security is illiquid

may include, but are not limited to: the frequency of trades and quotes for the security; the number of dealers willing to purchase and sell the security and the number of potential purchasers; the number of dealers who undertake to make a market in the security; the nature of the security, including whether it is registered or unregistered, and the market place; whether the security has been rated by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (“NRSRO”); the period of time remaining until the maturity of a debt instrument or until the principal amount of a demand instrument can be recovered through demand; the nature of any restrictions on resale; and with respect to municipal lease obligations and certificates of participation, there is reasonable assurance that the obligation will remain liquid throughout the time the obligation is held and, if unrated, an analysis similar to that which would be performed by an NRSRO is performed. If a restricted security is determined to be liquid, it will not be included within the category of illiquid securities, which may not exceed 15% of the Fund’s net assets. Investing in Rule 144A securities could have the effect of increasing the level of the Fund’s illiquidity to the extent that the Fund, at a particular point in time may be unable to find qualified institutional buyers interested in purchasing the securities. The Fund is permitted to sell restricted securities to qualified institutional buyers.

The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during more prolonged market downturns. The value of a security or other instrument may decline due to changes in general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or other instrument, or factors that affect a particular issuer or issuers, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. During a general market downturn, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected. Changes in market conditions and interest rates generally do not have the same impact on all types of securities and instruments.

Stresses associated with the 2008 financial crisis in the United States and global economies peaked approximately a decade ago, but periods of unusually high volatility in the financial markets and restrictive credit conditions, sometimes limited to a particular sector or a geography, continue to recur. Some countries, including the United States, have adopted and/or are considering the adoption of more protectionist trade policies, a move away from the tighter financial industry regulations that followed the financial crisis, and/or substantially reducing corporate taxes. The exact shape of these policies is still being considered, but the equity and debt markets may react strongly to expectations of change, which could increase volatility, especially if the market’s expectations are not borne out. A rise in protectionist trade policies, and the possibility of changes to some international trade agreements, could affect the economies of many nations in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen at the present time. In addition, geopolitical and other risks, including environmental and public health, may add to instability in world economies and markets generally. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected. As a result, whether or not the Fund invest in securities of issuers located in or with significant exposure to countries experiencing economic, political and/or financial difficulties, the value and liquidity of the Fund’s investments may be negatively affected by such events.

An outbreak of infectious respiratory illness caused by a novel coronavirus known as COVID-19 was first detected in China in December 2019 and has now been detected globally. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization announced that it had made the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic. COVID-19 has resulted in travel restrictions, closed international borders, enhanced health screenings at ports of entry and elsewhere, disruption of and delays in healthcare service preparation and delivery, prolonged quarantines, cancellations, business and school closings, supply chain disruptions, and lower consumer demand, as well as general concern and uncertainty. The impact of COVID-19, and other infectious illness outbreaks that may arise in the future, could adversely affect the economies of many nations or the entire global economy, individual issuers and capital markets in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen. In addition, the impact of infectious illnesses in emerging market countries may be greater due to generally less established healthcare systems. Public health crises caused by the COVID-19 outbreak may exacerbate other pre-existing political, social and economic risks in certain countries

or globally. The duration of the COVID-19 outbreak and its effects cannot be determined with certainty. The value of the Fund and the securities in which the Fund invest may be adversely affected by impacts caused by COVID-19 and other epidemics and pandemics that may arise in the future.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and corresponding events in late February 2022, have had, and could continue to have, severe adverse effects on regional and global economic markets for securities and commodities. Following Russia’s actions, various governments, including the United States, have issued broad-ranging economic sanctions against Russia, including, among other actions, a prohibition on doing business with certain Russian companies, large financial institutions, officials and oligarchs; the removal by certain countries and the European Union of selected Russian banks from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications (“SWIFT”), the electronic banking network that connects banks globally; and restrictive measures to prevent the Russian Central Bank from undermining the impact of the sanctions. The current events, including sanctions and the potential for future sanctions, including any impacting Russia’s energy sector, and other actions, and Russia’s retaliatory responses to those sanctions and actions, may continue to adversely impact the Russian economy and may result in the further decline of the value and liquidity of Russian securities, a continued weakening of the ruble and continued exchange closures, and may have other adverse consequences on the Russian economy that could impact the value of Russian investments and impair the ability of the Fund to buy, sell, receive or deliver those securities. Moreover, those events have, and could continue to have, an adverse effect on global markets performance and liquidity, thereby negatively affecting the value of the Fund’s investments beyond any direct exposure to Russian issuers. The duration of ongoing hostilities and the vast array of sanctions and related events cannot be predicted. Those events present material uncertainty and risk with respect to markets globally and the performance of the Fund and its investments or operations could be negatively impacted.

A number of countries in Europe have experienced severe economic and financial difficulties. Many non-governmental issuers, and even certain governments, have defaulted on, or been forced to restructure, their debts; many other issuers have faced difficulties obtaining credit or refinancing existing obligations; financial institutions have in many cases required government or central bank support, have needed to raise capital, and/or have been impaired in their ability to extend credit; and financial markets in Europe and elsewhere have experienced extreme volatility and declines in asset values and liquidity. These difficulties may continue, worsen or spread within and beyond Europe. Responses to the financial problems by European governments, central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not work, may result in social unrest and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or restructurings by governments and others of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world. In addition, the United Kingdom (“UK”) has formally withdrawn from the European Union (“EU”) and one or more other countries may withdraw from the EU and/or abandon the Euro, the common currency of the EU. The UK and EU reached an agreement effective January 1, 2021 on the terms of their future trading relationship relating to the trading of goods, however, this does not cover financial services. The Fund may face risks associated with the potential uncertainty and consequences of the new relationship between the UK and EU, including volatility in exchange and interest rates and politically divergent national laws and regulations. Ukraine has experienced ongoing military conflict; this conflict may expand and military attacks could occur elsewhere in Europe. Europe has also been struggling with mass migration from the Middle East and Africa. The impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching. Whether or not the Fund invests in securities of issuers located in Europe or with significant exposure to European issuers or countries, these events could negatively affect the value and relative liquidity of the Fund’s investments. The occurrence of terrorist incidents throughout Europe could also impact financial markets.

Instability in the financial markets may lead the U.S. government and foreign governments to take a number of unprecedented actions designed to support certain financial institutions and segments of the financial markets that

may experience extreme volatility, and in some cases a lack of liquidity. U.S. federal and state governments and foreign governments, their regulatory agencies or self-regulatory organizations may take additional actions that affect the regulation of the securities in which the Fund invests, or the issuers of such securities, in ways that are unforeseeable. Issuers of corporate securities might seek protection under the bankruptcy laws. Legislation or regulation may also change the way in which the Fund itself is regulated. Such legislation or regulation could limit or preclude the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective.

Fundamental. The Trust (on behalf of the Fund) has adopted the following restrictions as fundamental policies, which may not be changed without the favorable vote of the holders of a “majority of the outstanding voting securities of a Fund,” as defined in the 1940 Act. Under the 1940 Act, the “vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities” means the vote of the holders of the lesser of (i) 67% of the shares of the Fund represented at a meeting at which the holders of more than 50% of its outstanding shares are represented or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund.

1. Borrowing Money. The Fund will not borrow money, except: (a) from a bank, provided that immediately after such borrowing there is an asset coverage of 300% for all borrowings of the Fund; or (b) from a bank or other persons for temporary purposes only, provided that such temporary borrowings are in an amount not exceeding 5% of the Fund's total assets at the time when the borrowing is made. This limitation does not preclude the Fund from entering into reverse repurchase transactions, provided that the Fund has an asset coverage of 300% for all borrowings and repurchase commitments of the Fund pursuant to reverse repurchase transactions.

2. Senior Securities. The Fund will not issue senior securities. This limitation is not applicable to activities that may be deemed to involve the issuance or sale of a senior security by the Fund, provided that the Fund's engagement in such activities is consistent with or permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder or interpretations of the SEC or its staff.

3. Underwriting. The Fund will not act as underwriter of securities issued by other persons. This limitation is not applicable to the extent that, in connection with the disposition of portfolio securities (including restricted securities), the Fund may be deemed an underwriter under certain federal securities laws.

4. Real Estate. The Fund will not purchase or sell real estate. This limitation is not applicable to investments in marketable securities which are secured by or represent interests in real estate. This limitation does not preclude the Fund from investing in mortgage-related securities or investing in companies engaged in the real estate business or that have a significant portion of their assets in real estate (including real estate investment trusts).

5. Commodities. The Fund will not purchase or sell commodities unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other investments. This limitation does not preclude the Fund from purchasing or selling options or futures contracts, from investing in securities or other instruments backed by commodities or from investing in companies which are engaged in a commodities business or have a significant portion of their assets in commodities.

6. Loans. The Fund will not make loans to other persons, except: (a) by loaning portfolio securities; (b) by engaging in repurchase agreements; or (c) by purchasing nonpublicly offered debt securities. For purposes of this limitation, the term "loans" shall not include the purchase of a portion of an issue of publicly distributed bonds, debentures or other securities.

7. Concentration. The Fund will not invest 25% or more of its total assets in a particular industry. This limitation is not applicable to investments in obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies and instrumentalities or repurchase agreements with respect thereto.

With respect to the percentages adopted by the Trust as maximum limitations on its investment policies and limitations, an excess above the fixed percentage will not be a violation of the policy or limitation unless the excess results immediately and directly from the acquisition of any security or the action taken. This paragraph does not apply to the borrowing policy set forth in paragraph 1 above.

Notwithstanding any of the foregoing limitations, any investment company, whether organized as a trust, association or corporation, or a personal holding company, may be merged or consolidated with or acquired by the Trust, provided that if such merger, consolidation or acquisition results in an investment in the securities of any issuer prohibited by said paragraphs, the Trust shall, within ninety days after the consummation of such merger, consolidation or acquisition, dispose of all of the securities of such issuer so acquired or such portion thereof as shall bring the total investment therein within the limitations imposed by said paragraphs above as of the date of consummation.

Non-Fundamental. The following lists the non-fundamental investment restrictions applicable to the Fund. These restrictions can be changed by the Board of Trustees, but the change will only be effective after notice is given to shareholders of the Fund.

Except with respect to borrowing and illiquid securities, if a percentage or rating restriction on investment or use of assets set forth herein or in the Prospectus is adhered to at the time a transaction is affected, later changes in percentage resulting from any cause other than actions by the Fund will not be considered a violation.

The management and affairs of the Fund are supervised by the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees consists of five individuals, all of whom are not “interested persons” (as defined under the 1940 Act) of the Trust and the Adviser (“Independent Trustees”). The Trustees are fiduciaries for the Fund’s shareholders and are governed by the laws of the State of Delaware in this regard. The Board of Trustees establishes policies for the operation of the Fund and appoints the officers who conduct the daily business of the Fund.

The Trust is led by Mr. Brian Nielsen, who has served as the Chairman of the Board since 2011. The Board of Trustees is comprised of Mr. Nielsen and four (4) other Independent Trustees. Under certain 1940 Act governance guidelines that apply to the Trust, the Independent Trustees will meet in executive session, at least quarterly. Under the Trust’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust and By-Laws, the Chairman of the Board is responsible for (a) presiding at board meetings, (b) calling special meetings on an as-needed basis, (c) setting the agendas for board meetings and (d) ensuring board members are provided necessary materials in advance of each board meeting. The Trust believes that (i) its Chairman, (ii) Keith Rhoades, the independent chair of the Audit Committee, and, (iii) as an entity, the full Board of Trustees, provide effective leadership that is in the best interests of the Trust, each of its Fund and each shareholder. The Independent Trustees have selected Anthony Lewis as the Lead Independent Trustee.

In accordance with the fund governance standards prescribed by the SEC under the 1940 Act, the Independent Trustees on the Nominating Committee select and nominate all candidates for Independent Trustee positions. Each Trustee was appointed to serve on the Board of Trustees because of his experience, qualifications, attributes and/or skills. The Board of Trustees reviews its leadership structure regularly on at least an annual basis. The Board of Trustees believes that the structure described above facilitates the orderly and efficient flow of information to the Trustees from the officers of the Trust, the advisers of the Fund that comprise the Trust and other service providers, and facilitates the effective evaluation of the risks and other issues, including conflicts of interest, that may impact the Trust as a whole as well as the Fund individually. The Board of Trustees believes that the orderly and efficient flow of information and the ability of the Board of Trustees to bring each Trustee’s experience and skills to bear in overseeing the Trust’s operations is important given the characteristics and circumstances of the Trust, including: the unaffiliated nature of each investment adviser and the fund(s) managed by such adviser; the number of Fund that comprise the Trust; the variety of asset classes that those Fund reflect; the net assets of the Trust; the committee structure of the Trust; and the independent arrangements of each of the Trust’s series. For these reasons, the Board of Trustees believes that its leadership structure is appropriate.

The Board of Trustees’ role is one of oversight rather than day-to-day management of any of the Trust’s series. The Trust’s Audit Committee assists with this oversight function. The Board of Trustees’ oversight extends to the Trust’s risk management processes. Those processes are overseen by Trust officers, including the President, the Treasurer, the Secretary and Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”), who regularly report to the Board of Trustees on a variety of matters at Board meetings.

The Board of Trustees is comprised of Mr. Nielsen and four (4) other Independent Trustees with a standing independent Audit Committee with a separate chair. The Board is responsible for overseeing risk management, and the full Board regularly engages in discussions of risk management and receives compliance reports that inform its oversight of risk management from its CCO at quarterly meetings and on an ad hoc basis, when and if necessary. The Audit Committee considers financial and reporting risk within its area of responsibilities. Generally, the Board believes that its oversight of material risks is adequately maintained through the compliance-reporting chain where the CCO is the primary recipient and communicator of such risk-related information and oversees the Trust’s service providers’ adherence to the Trust’s policies and procedures.

Investment advisers managing the Trust’s series report to the Trust’s CCO and the Board of Trustees, on a regular and as-needed basis, on actual and possible risks affecting the Trust’s series. These investment advisers report to the CCO and the Board of Trustees on various elements of risk, including investment, credit, liquidity, valuation, operational and compliance risks, as well as any overall business risks that could impact the Trust’s series.

The Board of Trustees has appointed the CCO, who reports directly to the Board of Trustees and who participates in its regular meetings. In addition, the CCO conducts on-going and continuous compliance testing and presents an annual report to the Board of Trustees in accordance with the Trust’s compliance policies and procedures. The CCO, together with the Trust’s President, Treasurer and Secretary, regularly discusses risk issues affecting the Trust and its series during Board of Trustee meetings. The CCO also provides updates to the Board of Trustees on the operation of the Trust’s compliance policies and procedures and on how these procedures are designed to mitigate risk. Finally, the CCO and/or other officers of the Trust report to the Board of Trustees in the event that any material risk issues arise in between Board meetings.

Generally, the Trust believes that each Trustee is competent to serve because of their individual overall merits including: (i) experience, (ii) qualifications, (iii) attributes and (iv) skills. Mr. Nielsen has over twenty years of experience in the investment management and brokerage business including a focus in compliance, legal and regulatory oversight and possesses a strong understanding of the regulatory framework under which investment companies must operate. Since 2010, Thomas Sarkany has been the President of TTS Consultants, LLC, a financial services firm and from 1994 through 2010, held various roles at Value Line, Inc. (a publicly held company providing financial research, publications and money management services to retail and institutional investors), including Director of Marketing and Asset Management, Director of Index Licensing, and member of the Board of Directors. Anthony Lewis has been Chairman and CEO of The Lewis Group USA, an executive consulting firm, for the past ten years, and also serves as a Director, the Chairman of the Compensation Committee, and a Member of the Audit Committee of Torotel Inc., and also serves as a Trustee, the Chairman of the Valuation Committee, and a Member of the Audit Committee of the Wildermuth Endowment Fund, a registered closed-end fund operating as an interval fund. Keith Rhoades held various accounting roles at Union Pacific Railroad, including Senior Director of General Ledger/Financial Research. Randy Skalla has more than 20 years of investment management experience including serving as President of L5 Enterprises, Inc. since 2001 and from 2001 through 2017 Mr. Skalla was a member of the Orizon Investment Counsel Board. The Trust does not believe any one factor is determinative in assessing a Trustee’s qualifications, but that the collective experience of each Trustee makes them each highly qualified.

The Board of Trustees has established three standing board committees – the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee and the Nominating Committee. All Independent Trustees are members of the Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and the Nominating Committee (“Standing Board Committees”). Inclusion of all Independent Trustees as members of all three of the Standing Board Committees allows all such Trustees to participate in the full range of the Board of Trustees’ oversight duties, including oversight of risk management processes.

The Trustees and the officers of the Trust are listed below with their addresses, present positions with the Trust and

principal occupations over at least the last five years. The business address of each Trustee and Officer is 225 Pictoria Drive, Suite 450, Cincinnati, OH 45246. All correspondence to the Trustees and Officers should be directed to c/o Ultimus Fund Solutions, LLC, P.O. Box 541150, Omaha, Nebraska 68154.

* The term of office for each Trustee and Officer listed above will continue indefinitely.

**As of November 30, 2022, the Trust was comprised of 19 active portfolios managed by unaffiliated investment advisers. The term “Fund Complex” applies only to the Fund and not to any other series of the Trust. The Fund does not hold itself out as related to any other series within the Trust for investment purposes, nor do they share the same investment adviser with any other series not included in the Fund Complex.

Audit Committee. The Board has an Audit Committee, which is comprised of the Independent Trustees. The Audit Committee reviews financial statements and other audit-related matters for the Fund. The Audit Committee also holds discussions with management and with the Fund’s independent auditor concerning the scope of the audit and the auditor’s independence and will meet at least four times annually. During the fiscal year ended November 30, 2021, the Audit Committee met ten times.

Nominating Committee. The Board has a Nominating Committee, which is comprised of the Independent Trustees. The Nominating Committee is responsible for seeking and reviewing candidates for consideration as

nominees for the position of trustee and meets only as necessary. The Nominating Committee generally will not consider shareholder nominees.

Compensation Committee. The Board has a Compensation Committee, which is comprised of the Independent Trustees. The role of the Compensation Committee is to oversee the evaluation of, and review and approve compensation for, the Independent Trustees. The Compensation Committee will generally meet annually.

Each Trustee will receive a quarterly fee of $21,250 (the “Trustee Fee”) to be paid at the beginning of each calendar quarter, allocated among each of the various portfolios comprising the Trust. Each Trustee will also receive reimbursement for any reasonable expenses incurred attending the regular quarterly meetings of the Trust. In addition to the Trustee Fee, the Audit Committee Chairman will receive an additional quarterly fee of $4,000 and the Chairman of the Trust will receive an additional quarterly fee of $5,250. For special in-person meetings, each Trustee will receive a $2,500 special in-person meeting fee, as well as reimbursement for any reasonable expenses incurred attending the special in-person meeting, which fees will generally be paid by the Adviser requesting the special in-person meeting. None of the executive officers will receive compensation from the Trust.

The following table details the estimated amount of compensation the Trustees will receive from the Fund and the Fund Complex for the fiscal year ending November 30, 2023.

*** There are currently multiple series comprising the Trust. The term “Fund Complex” refers only to the North Star Small Cap Value Fund, North Star Bond Fund, North Star Dividend Fund, North Star Microcap Fund and the North Star Opportunity Fund, and not to any other series of the Trust.

The following table indicates the dollar range of equity securities that each Trustee beneficially owned in the Fund and other series of the Trust as of December 31, 2022:

As of December 31, 2022, the Trustees and officers, as a group, owned less than 1.00% of the Predecessor Fund’s outstanding shares and the Fund Complex’s outstanding shares.

A principal shareholder is any person who owns of record or beneficially 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the Fund. A control person is one who owns beneficially or through controlled companies more than 25% of the voting securities of the Fund or acknowledges the existence of control. A controlling person possesses the ability to control the outcome of matters submitted for shareholder vote by the Fund.

As of December 31, 2022, the Predecessor Fund’s shareholders of record and/or beneficial owners (to the Predecessor Fund’s knowledge) who owned 5% or more of the Predecessor Fund’s shares are set forth below:

As stated in the Prospectus, investment advisory services are provided to the Fund by North Star Investment Management Corp., 20 N. Wacker Drive, Suite 1416, Chicago, IL 60606, pursuant to an Investment Advisory Agreement (the “Advisory Agreement”). North Star Financial Services Corp. is the sole shareholder of the Adviser. Messrs. Peter Gottlieb and Eric Kuby are the principal shareholders of North Star Financial Services Corp. Subject to such policies as the Board of Trustees may determine, the Adviser is ultimately responsible for investment decisions for the Fund. Pursuant to the terms of the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser provides the Fund with such investment advice and supervision as it deems necessary for the proper supervision of the Fund’s investments.

After an initial period of two years, the Advisory Agreement will continue in effect from year to year only if such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by the Board of Trustees or by vote of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities and by a majority of the trustees who are not parties to the Advisory Agreement or interested persons of any such party, at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on the Advisory Agreement. The Advisory Agreement is terminable without penalty by the Trust on behalf of the Fund upon 60 days’ prior written notice when authorized either by a majority vote of the applicable Fund’s shareholders or by a vote of a majority of the Board of Trustees, or by the Adviser upon 60 days’ prior written notice, and will automatically terminate in the event of its “assignment” (as defined in the 1940 Act). The Advisory Agreement provides that the Adviser,

under such agreement, shall not be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss arising out of any investment or for any act or omission in the execution of portfolio transactions for the Fund, except for willful misfeasance, bad faith or negligence in the performance of its duties, or by reason of reckless disregard of its obligations and duties thereunder.

Under the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser, under the supervision of the Board, agrees (directly or through a subadviser) to invest the assets of the Fund in accordance with applicable law and the investment objectives, policies and restrictions set forth in the Fund’s current Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information, and subject to such further limitations as the Trust may from time to time impose by written notice to the Adviser. The Adviser shall act as the investment adviser to the Fund and, as such shall (directly or through a subadviser) (i) obtain and evaluate such information relating to the economy, industries, business, securities markets and securities as it may deem necessary or useful in discharging its responsibilities here under, (ii) formulate a continuing program for the investment of the assets of the Fund in a manner consistent with its investment objective, policies and restrictions, and (iii) determine from time to time securities to be purchased, sold or retained by the Fund, and implement those decisions, including the selection of entities with or through which such purchases or sales are to be effected; provided, that the Adviser (directly or through a subadviser) will place orders pursuant to its investment determinations either directly with the issuer or with a broker or dealer, and if with a broker or dealer, (a) will attempt to obtain the best price and execution of its orders, and (b) may nevertheless in its discretion purchase and sell portfolio securities from and to brokers who provide the Adviser with research, analysis, advice and similar services and pay such brokers in return a higher commission or spread than may be charged by other brokers. The Adviser also provides the Fund with all necessary office facilities and personnel for servicing the Fund’s investments, compensates all officers, Trustees and employees of the Trust who are officers, directors or employees of the Adviser, and all personnel of the Fund or the Adviser performing services relating to research, statistical and investment activities. The Advisory Agreement was approved by the Board of the Trust, including by a majority of the Independent Trustees, at a meeting held on December 22, 2022. Prior to entering into this Advisory Agreement, the Adviser managed the Predecessor Fund since December 15, 2022, under a separate investment advisory agreement with Walthausen Funds.

In addition, the Adviser, directly subject to the supervision of the Board of Trustees, provides the management services necessary for the operation of the Fund and such additional administrative services as reasonably requested by the Board of Trustees. These services include providing such office space, office equipment and office facilities as are adequate to fulfill the Adviser’s obligations under the Advisory Agreement; assisting the Trust in supervising relations with custodians, transfer and pricing agents, accountants, underwriters and other persons dealing with the Fund; assisting in preparing all general shareholder communications and conducting shareholder relations; assuring the Fund’s records and the registration of the Fund’s shares under federal securities laws and making necessary filings under state securities laws; developing management and shareholder services for the Fund; and furnishing reports, evaluations and analyses on a variety of subjects to the Trustees. Pursuant to the Advisory Agreement, the North Star Small Cap Value Fund pays the Adviser a management fee at the annual rate of 1.00%. The fee is computed daily and payable monthly.

Expenses not expressly assumed by the Adviser under the Advisory Agreement are paid by the Fund. Under the terms of the Advisory Agreement, the Fund is responsible for the payment of the following expenses among others: (a) the fees payable to the Adviser, (b) the fees and expenses of Trustees who are not affiliated persons of the Adviser or Distributor (as defined under the section entitled (“The Distributor”) (c) the fees and certain expenses of the Custodian (as defined under the section entitled “Custodian”) and Transfer and Dividend Disbursing Agent (as defined under the section entitled “Transfer Agent”), including the cost of maintaining certain required records of the Fund and of pricing the Fund’s shares, (d) the charges and expenses of legal counsel and independent accountants for the Fund, (e) brokerage commissions and any issue or transfer taxes chargeable to the Fund in connection with its securities transactions, (f) all taxes and corporate fees payable by the Fund to governmental agencies, (g) the fees of any trade association of which the Fund may be a member, (h) the cost of share certificates representing shares of the Fund, (i) the cost of fidelity and liability insurance, (j) the fees and expenses involved in

registering and maintaining registration of the Fund and of their shares with the SEC, qualifying its shares under state securities laws, including the preparation and printing of the Fund’s registration statements and prospectuses for such purposes, (k) all expenses of shareholders and Trustees’ meetings (including travel expenses of trustees and officers of the Trust who are directors, officers or employees of the Adviser) and of preparing, printing and mailing reports, proxy statements and prospectuses to shareholders in the amount necessary for distribution to the shareholders, and (l) litigation and indemnification expenses and other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the Trust’s business.

The Adviser has agreed contractually to waive its management fee and to reimburse operating expenses (excluding front-end or contingent deferred loads, brokerage fees and commissions, acquired fund fees and expenses, borrowing costs (such as interest and dividend expense on securities sold short), taxes and extraordinary expenses such as litigation) at least until March 31, 2025, such that net annual fund operating expenses of the Fund do not exceed the percentages in the table below.

This operating expense limitation agreement can be terminated only by, or with the consent of, the Board of Trustees. The Adviser is permitted to receive reimbursement from the Fund for fees it waived and Fund expenses it paid, subject to the limitation that: (1) the reimbursement for fees and expenses will be made only if payable within three years from the date the fees and expenses were initially waived or reimbursed; and (2) the reimbursement may not be made if it would cause the expense limitation in effect at the time of the waiver or currently in effect, whichever is lower, to be exceeded. Fee waiver and reimbursement arrangements can decrease the Fund’s expenses and increase its performance. The Adviser is not entitled to recoup expenses of the Predecessor Fund previously waived by Walthausen & Co., LLC (“Walthausen”), the previous investment adviser to the Predecessor Fund. Accordingly, to the extent that Walthausen waived its advisory fees or paid expenses of the Predecessor Fund prior to December 15, 2022, when North Star became the adviser to the Predecessor Fund, those amounts are not eligible to be recouped. As investment adviser prior to December 15, 2022, Walthausen was entitled to receive 1.00% of the Predecessor Fund’s average daily net assets.

For the fiscal years ended January 31, 2020, 2021, and 2022, the Predecessor Fund’s previous investment adviser, Walthausen, earned management fees equal to $3,825,006, $1,927,500 and $1,545,977, respectively. Under a services agreement with the Predecessor Fund, Walthausen also received an annual services agreement fee of 0.45% of the average daily net assets of the Fund up to $100 million, 0.25% of the Fund’s average daily net assets between $100 million and $500 million, and 0.15% of such assets in excess of $500 million in exchange for assuming and paying all ordinary expenses of the Predecessor Fund, except that the Predecessor Fund paid all management fees, brokerage fees and commissions, taxes, borrowing costs (such as (a) interest and (b) dividend expenses on securities sold short), underlying fund fees and expenses, and extraordinary or non-recurring expenses. For the fiscal years ended January 31, 2020, 2021, and 2022, Walthausen earned services agreement fees equal to $1,156,203, $681,922 and $585,921, respectively, from the Predecessor Fund. For the fiscal years ending January 31, 2020, 2021 and 2022, Walthausen waived services agreement fees and advisory fees for the Investor Class Shares of the Predecessor Fund totaling $266,242, $128,150 and $135,919, respectively. For the fiscal year ending January 31, 2020, 2021 and 2022, Walthausen waived services agreement fees and advisory fees for the Institutional Class Shares totaling $292,613, $385,194 and $303,619, respectively, for the Predecessor Fund.

The following section provides information regarding each Portfolio Manager’s other accounts managed, compensation, material conflicts of interests, and any ownership of securities in the Fund. The Portfolio Managers are shown together in this section only for ease in presenting the information and should not be viewed for purposes

of comparing the Portfolio Managers against one another. Eric Kuby and Peter Gottlieb are Portfolio Managers for the Fund.

Eric Kuby. Mr. Kuby has over 37 years of experience, serving both individual and institutional clients. Mr. Kuby joined the Adviser in 2004 and has been Chief Investment Officer of the Adviser since 2005. As Chairman of the Investment Committee, he is responsible for overseeing the firm’s various investment strategies. Mr. Kuby holds an MBA in Finance as well as a BA in Economics from The University of Chicago.

Peter Gottlieb. Mr. Gottlieb has over 31 years’ experience in the financial industry as a financial advisor as well as serving on the Board of Directors of a community bank, a publicly traded business development company and a community hospital. Mr. Gottlieb is the Founder and President of the Adviser since 2003. Mr. Gottlieb earned his BA degree from the University of Michigan, School of Business.

In addition to the Fund, the following table lists the number and types of accounts managed by the portfolio managers and assets under management in those accounts as of November 30, 2021

Actual or apparent material conflicts of interest may arise when a Portfolio Manager has day-to-day management responsibilities with respect to more than one investment account or in other circumstances. Portfolio Managers who manage other investment accounts in addition to the Fund may be presented with the potential conflicts described below.

The Adviser receives research that may be appropriate for clients in multiple strategies. However, in most cases, the research is targeted to a specific strategy. In cases where the research would be applicable to multiple strategies, the portfolio managers will base their decision to allocate ideas for each account independently and in a manner consistent with previous trading and investment patterns.

Trade allocation decisions are made among client accounts on a fair and equitable basis to ensure that no single relationship has a trading advantage. When two or more client accounts are simultaneously engaged in the purchase or sale of the same security, to the extent possible, the transactions will be aggregated in a single trade and these accounts will receive the security at an average share price on the aggregated trade. Partially-filled block trades will be allocated on a percentage basis.

The Adviser simultaneously manages accounts for which it receives performance-based compensation and accounts for which it receives fees based on the assets under management (such as the Fund). Typically, under this scenario, a conflict of interest arises in that the Adviser will have an incentive to favor accounts for which it is receiving the performance-based fee. The Adviser believes that this conflict of interest is mitigated due to the fact that the Fund for which the Adviser receives performance-based fees have investment strategies that are distinct from those for which the Adviser receives asset-based compensation. The Adviser and its affiliates may from time to time own shares of the Fund and/or the same securities owned by the Fund.

The Chief Compliance Officer regularly reviews investment allocations for irregularities or abuses. Additionally, trades may be executed by North Star Investment Services, Inc., an affiliate of the Adviser. Any potential conflicts will be resolved in accordance with the Fund’s Rule 17e-1 procedures.

The following section describes the structure of, and the methods used to determine the different types of compensation (e.g., salary, bonus, deferred compensation, and retirement plans and arrangements) for each of the Fund’s Portfolio Managers.

The Portfolio Managers’ compensation is a fixed salary that is set by reference to industry standards. Bonuses paid to the Portfolio Managers are based on the profitability of the Adviser and the Portfolio Managers’ equity ownership in the Adviser.

The following table shows the dollar range of equity securities beneficially owned by the portfolio managers of the Fund as of November 30, 2021:

Pursuant to a Fund Services Agreement (the “Administration Service Agreement”), Ultimus Fund Solution, LLC (“UFS”), 4221 North 203rd Street, Suite 100, Elkhorn, NE 68022 (the “Administrator”), acts as administrator for the Fund, subject to the supervision of the Board. UFS is primarily in the business of providing administrative, fund accounting and transfer agent services to retail and institutional mutual Fund. GFS is an affiliate of the Distributor. UFS may provide persons to serve as officers of the Fund. Such officers may be directors, officers or employees of UFS or its affiliates.

The Administration Service Agreement is terminable by the Board or UFS on 60 days’ prior written notice and may be assigned provided the non-assigning party provides prior written consent. This Agreement provides that in the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on the part of UFS or reckless disregard of its obligations thereunder, UFS shall not be liable for any action or failure to act in accordance with its duties thereunder.

Under the Administration Service Agreement, UFS provides facilitating administrative services, including: (i) providing services of persons competent to perform such administrative and clerical functions as are necessary to provide effective administration of the Fund; (ii) facilitating the performance of administrative and professional services to the Fund by others, including the Fund’s Custodian; (iii) preparing, but not paying for, the periodic updating of the Fund’s Registration Statement, Prospectuses and Statement of Additional Information in conjunction with Fund counsel, including the printing of such documents for the purpose of filings with the SEC and state securities administrators, and preparing reports to the Fund’s shareholders and the SEC; (iv) preparing in conjunction with Fund counsel, but not paying for, all filings under the securities or “Blue Sky” laws of such states or countries as are designated by the Distributor, which may be required to register or qualify, or continue the registration or qualification, of the Fund and/or their shares under such laws; (v) preparing notices and agendas for meetings of the Board and minutes of such meetings in all matters required by the 1940 Act to be acted upon by the Board; and (vi) monitoring daily and periodic compliance with respect to all requirements and restrictions of the 1940 Act, the Internal Revenue Code and the Prospectus.

For the services rendered to the Fund by the Administrator, the Fund pays the Administrator the greater of an annual minimum fee or an asset based fee, which scales downward based upon net assets for fund administration services. All basis point fees will be calculated based upon the average net assets of the Fund complex for the previous month.

UFS, pursuant to the Administration Service Agreement, provides the Fund with accounting services, including: (i) daily computation of net asset value; (ii) maintenance of security ledgers and books and records as required by the 1940 Act; (iii) production of the Fund’s listing of portfolio securities and general ledger reports; (iv) reconciliation of accounting records; (v) calculation of yield and total return for the Fund; (vi) maintaining certain books and records described in Rule 31a-1 under the 1940 Act, and reconciling account information and balances among the Fund’s custodian or Adviser; and (vii) monitoring and evaluating daily income and expense accruals, and sales and redemptions of shares of the Fund.

For the services rendered to the Fund by the Administrator, the Fund pays the Administrator the greater of an annual minimum fee or an asset based fee, which scales downward based upon net assets for fund accounting services. All basis point fees will be calculated based upon the average net assets of the Fund complex for the previous month. The Fund also pay UFS for equity and bond price quotes, as well as any out-of-pocket expenses.

UFS, 4221 North 203^rd Street, Suite 100, Elkhorn, NE 68022, acts as transfer, dividend disbursing, and shareholder servicing agent for the Fund pursuant to a written agreement with the Fund. Under the agreement, UFS is responsible for administering and performing transfer agent functions, dividend distribution, shareholder administration, and maintaining necessary records in accordance with applicable rules and regulations.

Ultimus previously provided the Predecessor Fund with pricing, accounting, dividend disbursing, shareholder servicing and transfer agent services. For the fiscal year ended January 31, 2020, the Advisor paid Ultimus $88,572 for transfer agent and accounting services. For the fiscal year ended January 31, 2021, the Predecessor Fund’s prior investment adviser, Walthausen, paid Ultimus $80,790 for transfer agent and accounting services. For the fiscal year ended January 31, 2022, Walthausen paid Ultimus $66,977 for transfer agent and accounting services.

Premier Fund Solutions, Inc. (“PFS”), 1939 Friendship Drive, Suite C, El Cajon, CA 92020, previously provided the Predecessor Fund with administrative services. For the fiscal years ended January 31, 2020, 2021, and 2022, Walthausen paid PFS $173,344, $99,507 and $81,051, respectively, for administrative services for the Predecessor Fund.

U.S. Bank, National Association (“U.S. Bank”), 1555 North River Center Drive, Milwaukee, WI 53212, (the “Custodian”), serves as the custodian of the Fund’s assets pursuant to a Custody Agreement by and between the Custodian and the Trust on behalf of the Fund. The Custodian’s responsibilities include safeguarding and controlling the Fund’s cash and securities, handling the receipt and delivery of securities, and collecting interest and dividends on the Fund’s investments. Pursuant to the Custody Agreement, the Custodian also maintains original entry documents and books of record and general ledgers; posts cash receipts and disbursements; and records purchases and sales based upon communications from the Adviser. The Fund may employ foreign sub-custodians that are approved by the Board to hold foreign assets.

Northern Lights Compliance Services, LLC (“NLCS”), 4221 North 203^rd Street, Suite 100, Elkhorn, NE 68022, an affiliate of GFS and the Distributor, provides a Chief Compliance Officer to the Trust as well as related

compliance services pursuant to a consulting agreement between NLCS and the Trust. The Fund pay a compliance service fee to NLCS.

Alston & Bird, LLP, 950 F Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20004, serves as counsel to the Trust.

Blank Rome LLP, 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020, serves as counsel to the Independent Trustees.

Northern Lights Distributors, LLC, located at 4221 North 203^rd Street, Suite 100, Elkhorn, NE 68022 (the "Distributor") serves as the principal underwriter and national distributor for the shares of the Fund pursuant to an underwriting agreement with the Trust (the "Underwriting Agreement"). The Distributor is registered as a broker-dealer under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and each state's securities laws and is a member of FINRA. The offering of the Fund’s shares are continuous. The Underwriting Agreement provides that the Distributor, as agent in connection with the distribution of Fund shares, will use reasonable efforts to facilitate the sale of the Fund’s shares.

The Underwriting Agreement has an initial term of two years and will continue in effect only if such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by the Board of Trustees or by vote of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities and, in either case, by a majority of the trustees who are not parties to the Underwriting Agreement or “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of any such party. The Underwriting Agreement is terminable without penalty by the Trust on behalf of the Fund on 60 days’ notice when authorized either by a majority vote of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities or by vote of a majority of the Board of Trustees, including a majority of the trustees who are not “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Trust, or by the Distributor on 60 days’ notice, and will automatically terminate in the event of its “assignment” (as defined in the 1940 Act).

The Distributor may enter into selling agreements with broker-dealers that solicit orders for the sale of shares of the Fund and may allow concessions to dealers that sell shares of the Fund.

Compensation for the services performed by Predecessor Fund’s prior distributor were paid by the Predecessor Fund’s prior adviser from its own resources, not the Fund.

As noted in the Prospectus, the Trust has adopted a Distribution and Shareholder Servicing Plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act for the Investor Class shares for the Fund. Such fees are to be paid by the Fund monthly, or at such other intervals, as the Board shall determine. Such fees shall be based upon each share class’s average daily net assets during the preceding month, and shall be calculated and accrued daily. The Fund may pay fees to the Distributor at a lesser rate, as agreed upon by the Board of the Trust and the Distributor. The Plan authorizes payments to the Distributor as compensation for providing account maintenance services to Fund shareholders, including arranging for certain securities dealers or brokers, administrators and others (“Recipients”) to provide these services and paying compensation for these services.

The services to be provided by Recipients may include, but are not limited to, the following: assistance in the offering and sale of Fund shares and in other aspects of the marketing of the shares to clients or prospective clients of the respective recipients; answering routine inquiries concerning the Fund; assisting in the establishment and maintenance of accounts or sub-accounts in the Fund and in processing purchase and redemption transactions; making the Fund’s investment plan and shareholder services available; and providing such other information and services to investors in shares of the Fund as the Distributor or the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, may reasonably

request. The distribution services shall also include any advertising and marketing services provided by or arranged by the Distributor with respect to the Fund. The Adviser may be compensated by the Distributor for its distribution and marketing efforts.

The Distributor is required to provide a written report, at least quarterly to the Board of the Trust, specifying in reasonable detail the amounts expended pursuant to the Plan and the purposes for which such expenditures were made. Further, the Distributor will inform the Board of any Rule 12b-1 fees to be paid by the Distributor to Recipients.

The initial term of the Plan is one year and will continue in effect from year to year thereafter, provided such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by a majority of the Board of the Trust and a majority of the Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Trust and do not have a direct or indirect financial interest in the Plan (“Rule 12b-1 Trustees”) by votes cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on the Plan. The Plan may be terminated at any time by the Trust or the Fund by vote of a majority of the Rule 12b-1 Trustees or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting shares of the Fund.

The Plan may not be amended to increase materially the amount of the Distributor’s compensation to be paid by the Fund, unless such amendment is approved by the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the affected class of the Fund (as defined in the 1940 Act). All material amendments must be approved by a majority of the Board of the Trust and a majority of the Rule 12b-1 Trustees by votes cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on the Plan. During the term of the Plan, the selection and nomination of non-interested Trustees of the Trust will be committed to the discretion of current non-interested Trustees. The Distributor will preserve copies of the Plan, any related agreements, and all reports, for a period of not less than six years from the date of such document and for at least the first two years in an easily accessible place.

Any agreement related to the Plan will be in writing and provide that: (a) it may be terminated by the Trust or the Fund at any time upon sixty days’ written notice, without the payment of any penalty, by vote of a majority of the respective Rule 12b-1 Trustees, or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Trust or Fund; (b) it will automatically terminate in the event of its assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act); and (c) it will continue in effect for a period of more than one year from the date of its execution or adoption only so long as such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by a majority of the Board and a majority of the Rule 12b-1 Trustees by votes cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such agreement.

To the extent these asset-based fees and other payments made under the Distribution Plan to these financial intermediaries for the distribution services they provide to the Fund’s shareholders exceed the Distribution Fees available, these payments are made by the Adviser from its own resources, which may include its profits from the advisory fee it receives from the Fund. In addition, the Fund may participate in various “fund supermarkets” in which a mutual fund supermarket sponsor (usually a broker-dealer) offers many mutual Fund to the sponsor’s customers without charging the customers a sales charge. In connection with its participation in such platforms, the Adviser may use all or a portion of the Distribution Fee to pay one or more supermarket sponsors a negotiated fee for distributing the Fund’s shares. In addition, in its discretion, the Adviser may pay additional fees to such intermediaries from its own assets.

Pursuant to the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser determines which securities are to be purchased and sold by the Fund and which broker-dealers are eligible to execute the Fund’s portfolio transactions. Purchases and sales of securities in the OTC market will generally be executed directly with a “market-maker” unless, in the opinion of the Adviser, a better price and execution can otherwise be obtained by using a broker for the transaction.

Purchases of portfolio securities for the Fund will be effected through broker-dealers (including banks) that specialize in the types of securities that the Fund will be holding, unless better executions are available elsewhere. Dealers usually act as principal for their own accounts. Purchases from dealers will include a spread between the bid and the asked price. If the execution and price offered by more than one dealer are comparable, the order may be allocated to a dealer that has provided research or other services as discussed below.

In placing portfolio transactions, the Adviser will use reasonable efforts to choose broker-dealers capable of providing the services necessary to obtain the most favorable price and execution available. The full range and quality of services available will be considered in making these determinations, such as the size of the order, the difficulty of execution, the operational facilities of the firm involved, the firm’s risk in positioning a block of securities and other factors. In those instances where it is reasonably determined that more than one broker-dealer can offer the services needed to obtain the most favorable price and execution available, consideration may be given to those broker-dealers that furnish or supply research and statistical information to the Adviser that they may lawfully and appropriately use in their investment advisory capacities, as well as provide other brokerage services in addition to execution services. The Adviser considers such information, which is in addition to and not in lieu of the services required to be performed by it under its Advisory Agreement with the Fund, to be useful in varying degrees, but of indeterminable value.

While it is the Fund’s general policy to first seek to obtain the most favorable price and execution available in selecting a broker-dealer to execute portfolio transactions for the Fund, weight is also given to the ability of a broker-dealer to furnish brokerage and research services to the Fund or to the Adviser, even if the specific services are not directly useful to the Fund and may be useful to the Adviser in advising other clients. In negotiating commissions with a broker or evaluating the spread to be paid to a dealer, the Fund may therefore pay a higher commission or spread than would be the case if no weight were given to the furnishing of these supplemental services, provided that the amount of such commission or spread has been determined in good faith by the Adviser to be reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and/or research services provided by such broker-dealer. The standard of reasonableness is to be measured in light of the Adviser’s overall responsibilities to the Fund.

Investment decisions for the Fund may or may not be made independently from those of other client accounts of the Adviser. In certain instances, investment decisions will be made similar to other accounts managed. In the case where the Fund use similar strategies, applicable procedures will be taken to ensure trading allocations will be handled fairly and abide by all appropriate rules and regulations. Nevertheless, it is possible that at times identical securities will be acceptable for both the Fund and one or more of such client accounts. In such event, the position of the Fund and such client account(s) in the same issuer may vary and the length of time that each may choose to hold its investment in the same issuer may likewise vary. However, to the extent any of these client accounts seek to acquire the same security as the Fund at the same time, the Fund may not be able to acquire as large a portion of such security as it desires, or it may have to pay a higher price or obtain a lower yield for such security. Similarly, the Fund may not be able to obtain as high a price for, or as large an execution of, an order to sell any particular security at the same time. If one or more of such client accounts simultaneously purchases or sells the same security that the Fund is purchasing or selling, each day’s transactions in such security will be allocated between the Fund and all such client accounts in a manner deemed equitable by the Adviser, taking into account the respective sizes of the accounts and the amount being purchased or sold. It is recognized that in some cases this system could have a detrimental effect on the price or value of the security insofar as the Fund is concerned. In other cases, however, it is believed that the ability of the Fund to participate in volume transactions may produce better executions for the Fund. Notwithstanding the above, the Adviser may execute buy and sell orders for accounts and take action in performance of their duties with respect to any of their accounts that may differ from actions taken with respect to another account, so long as the Adviser shall, to the extent practical, allocate investment opportunities to accounts, including the Fund, over a period of time on a fair and equitable basis and in accordance with applicable law.

The Fund is required to identify any securities of its “regular brokers or dealers” that the Fund have acquired during its most recent fiscal year. The Fund is also required to identify any brokerage transactions during its most recent

fiscal year that were directed to a broker because of research services provided, along with the amount of any such transactions and any related commissions paid by the Fund.

Brokers or dealers executing a portfolio transaction on behalf of the Fund may receive a commission in excess of the amount of commission another broker or dealer would have charged for executing the transaction if the Adviser determines in good faith that such commission is reasonable in relation to the value of brokerage, research and other services provided to the Fund. In allocating portfolio brokerage, the Adviser may select brokers or dealers who also provide brokerage, research and other services to other accounts over which the Adviser exercises investment discretion. Some of the services received as the result of Fund transactions may primarily benefit accounts other than the Fund, while services received as the result of portfolio transactions effected on behalf of those other accounts may primarily benefit the Fund.

The table below shows the broker commissions paid by the Predecessor Fund during the years indicated.

Although the Fund generally will not invest for short-term trading purposes, portfolio securities may be sold without regard to the length of time they have been held when, in the opinion of the Adviser, investment considerations warrant such action. Portfolio turnover rate is calculated by dividing (i) the lesser of purchases or sales of portfolio securities for the fiscal year by (ii) the monthly average of the value of portfolio securities owned during the fiscal year. A 100% turnover rate would occur if all the securities in the Fund’s portfolio, with the exception of securities whose maturities at the time of acquisition were one year or less, were sold and either repurchased or replaced within one year. A high rate of portfolio turnover (100% or more) generally leads to above-average transaction costs, could generate capital gains that must be distributed to shareholders as short-term capital gains taxed at ordinary income tax rates (currently as high as 37%) and could increase brokerage commission costs. To the extent that the Fund experiences an increase in brokerage commissions due to a higher portfolio turnover rate, the performance of the Fund could be negatively impacted by the increased expenses incurred by the Fund and may result in a greater number of taxable transactions.

The Predecessor Fund’s historical portfolio turnover rates are included in the Financial Highlights tables in the Fund’s Prospectus.

The Fund, the Adviser, and the Distributor have each adopted Codes of Ethics under Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act. These Codes permit, subject to certain conditions, personnel of the Adviser, and Distributor to invest in securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund.

The Board of Trustees has adopted proxy voting policies and procedures (“Proxy Policies”) wherein the Trust has delegated to the Adviser the responsibility for voting proxies relating to portfolio securities held by the Fund as part of its investment advisory services, subject to the supervision and oversight of the Board of Trustees. The Proxy Voting Policies of the Adviser are included as Appendix B.

More Information. Information regarding how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the twelve-month period ended June 30 will be available without charge, upon request, by calling toll-free, 1-800-SEC-0330 or by accessing the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

The Trust has established an Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Program (the “Program”) as required by the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (“USA PATRIOT Act”). To ensure compliance with this law, the Trust’s Program provides for the development of internal practices, procedures and controls, designation of anti-money laundering compliance officers, an ongoing training program and an independent audit function to determine the effectiveness of the Program. The Trust’s secretary serves as its Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer.

Procedures to implement the Program include, but are not limited to, determining that the Fund’s Distributor and Transfer Agent have established proper anti-money laundering procedures, reporting suspicious and/or fraudulent activity and a providing a complete and thorough review of all new opening account applications. The Trust will not transact business with any person or entity whose identity cannot be adequately verified under the provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act.

As a result of the Program, the Trust may be required to “freeze” the account of a shareholder if the shareholder appears to be involved in suspicious activity or if certain account information matches information on government lists of known terrorists or other suspicious persons, or the Trust may be required to transfer the account or proceeds of the account to a governmental agency.

The Trust has adopted policies and procedures that govern the disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. These policies and procedures are designed to ensure that such disclosure is in the best interests of Fund shareholders.

It is the Trust’s policy to: (1) ensure that any disclosure of portfolio holdings information is in the best interest of Trust shareholders; (2) protect the confidentiality of portfolio holdings information; (3) have procedures in place to guard against personal trading based on the information; and (4) ensure that the disclosure of portfolio holdings information does not create conflicts between the interests of the Trust’s shareholders and those of the Trust’s affiliates.

The Fund disclose their portfolio holdings in regulatory filings and shareholder reports, as required by federal and state securities laws and may disclose portfolio holdings information in response to requests by governmental authorities. The Fund disclose their portfolio holdings directly to shareholders by mailing said annual and semi-annual shareholder reports to shareholders approximately two months after the end of the fiscal year and semi-annual period. In addition, the Fund file their portfolio holdings in periodic reports with the SEC on Forms N-CSR, and N-PORT on a sixty day lag and on Form N-CEN on a, 75 days lag, at, the end of the relevant quarter/semi-annual or annual period. These filings are available to the public on the SEC’s website at SEC.gov.

The Fund may choose to make portfolio holdings information available to rating agencies such as Lipper, Morningstar or Bloomberg earlier and more frequently on a confidential basis.

Under limited circumstances, as described below, the Fund’s portfolio holdings may be disclosed to, or known by, certain third parties in advance of their filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Form N-CSR or Form N-PORT. In each case, a determination has been made that such advance disclosure is supported by a legitimate business purpose and that the recipient is subject to a duty to keep the information confidential.

The Adviser currently makes the Fund’s complete portfolio holdings, top ten holdings, sector weightings and other portfolio characteristics publicly available on its web site, www.nsinvestFund.com as disclosed in the following table:

The scope of the information relating to the Fund’s portfolios that is made available on the web site may change from time to time without notice. The Adviser or its affiliates may include the Fund’s portfolio information that has already been made public through a Web posting or SEC filing in marketing literature and other communications to shareholders, advisors or other parties, provided that, in the case of information made public through the Web, the information is disclosed no earlier than the day after the date of posting to the Web site.

The Adviser. Personnel of the Adviser, including personnel responsible for managing the Fund’s portfolio, may have full daily access to Fund portfolio holdings since that information is necessary in order for the Adviser to provide their management, administrative, and investment services to the Fund. As required for purposes of analyzing the impact of existing and future market changes on the prices, availability, demand and liquidity of such securities, as well as for the assistance of portfolio managers in the trading of such securities, Adviser personnel may also release and discuss certain portfolio holdings with various broker-dealers.

Ultimus Fund Solutions, LLC. Ultimus Fund Solutions, LLC is the transfer agent, fund accountant and administrator for the Fund; therefore, its personnel have full daily access to the Fund’s portfolio holdings since that information is necessary in order for them to provide the agreed-upon services for the Trust.

Northern Lights Compliance Services, LLC. Northern Lights Compliance Services, LLC provides consulting services to the Fund as well as related compliance services; therefore, its personnel have full daily access to the Fund’s portfolio holdings since that information is necessary in order for them to provide the agreed-upon services for the Trust.

U.S Bank, National Association. U.S. Bank, National Association is custodian for the Fund; therefore, its personnel have full daily access to the Fund’s portfolio holdings since that information is necessary in order for them to provide the agreed-upon services for the Trust.

[_________]. [______] is the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm; therefore, its personnel have access to the Fund’s portfolio holdings in connection with auditing of the Fund’s annual financial statements and providing other audit, tax and related services to the Fund.

Alston & Bird, LLP. Alston & Bird, LLP is counsel to the Trust; therefore, its personnel have access to the Fund’s portfolio holdings in connection with review of the Fund’s annual and semi-annual shareholder reports and SEC filings.

The Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer is the person responsible, and whose prior approval is required, for any disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio securities at any time or to any persons other than those described above. In such cases, the recipient must have a legitimate business need for the information and must be subject to a duty to keep the information confidential. There are no ongoing arrangements in place with respect to the disclosure of

portfolio holdings. In no event shall the Fund, the Adviser, or any other party receive any direct or indirect compensation in connection with the disclosure of information about the Fund’s portfolio holdings.

The Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer will report periodically to the Board with respect to compliance with the Fund’s portfolio holdings disclosure procedures, and from time to time will provide the Board any updates to the portfolio holdings disclosure policies and procedures.

There is no assurance that the Trust’s policies on disclosure of portfolio holdings will protect the Fund from the potential misuse of holdings information by individuals or firms in possession of that information.

As indicated in the Prospectus under the heading "Share Price," the net asset value ("NAV") of the Fund’s shares, by class, is determined by dividing the total value of the Fund’s portfolio investments and other assets, less any liabilities, by the total number of shares outstanding of the Fund, by class.

Generally, the Fund’s domestic securities (including underlying ETFs which hold portfolio securities primarily listed on foreign (non-U.S.) exchanges) are valued each day at the last quoted sales price on each security’s primary exchange. Securities traded or dealt in upon one or more securities exchanges for which market quotations are readily available and not subject to restrictions against resale shall be valued at the last quoted sales price on the primary exchange or, in the absence of a sale on the primary exchange, at the mean between the current bid and ask prices on such exchange. Securities primarily traded in the National Association of Securities Dealers’ Automated Quotation System (“NASDAQ”) National Market System for which market quotations are readily available shall be valued using the NASDAQ Official Closing Price. The Board has appointed the Adviser as its designee (the “Valuation Designee”) for all fair value determinations and responsibilities, other than overseeing pricing service providers used by the Trust. If market quotations are not readily available, securities will be valued at their fair market value as determined in good faith by the Fund’s Valuation Designee in accordance with procedures approved by the Board and as further described below. Securities that are not traded or dealt in any securities exchange (whether domestic or foreign) and for which over-the-counter market quotations are readily available generally shall be valued at the last sale price or, in the absence of a sale, at the mean between the current bid and ask price on such over-the- counter market.

Certain securities or investments for which daily market quotes are not readily available may be fair valued by the Valuation Designee, pursuant to guidelines established by the Board, with reference to other securities or indices. Debt securities not traded on an exchange may be valued at prices supplied by a pricing agent(s) based on broker or dealer supplied valuations or matrix pricing, a method of valuing securities by reference to the value of other securities with similar characteristics, such as rating, interest rate and maturity. Short-term investments having a maturity of 60 days or less may be generally valued at amortized cost when it approximates fair value.

Exchange traded options are valued at the last quoted sales price or, in the absence of a sale, at the mean between the current bid and ask prices on the exchange on which such options are traded. Futures and options on futures are valued at the settlement price determined by the exchange. Other securities for which market quotes are not readily available are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by Valuation Designee. Swap agreements and other derivatives are generally valued daily based upon quotations from market makers or by a pricing service in accordance with the valuation procedures approved by the Board.

Under certain circumstances, the Fund may use an independent pricing service to calculate the fair market value of foreign equity securities on a daily basis by applying valuation factors to the last sale price or the mean price as noted above. The fair market values supplied by the independent pricing service will generally reflect market trading that occurs after the close of the applicable foreign markets of comparable securities or the value of other instruments that have a strong correlation to the fair-valued securities. The independent pricing service will also

take into account the current relevant currency exchange rate. A security that is fair valued may be valued at a price higher or lower than actual market quotations or the value determined by other Fund using their own fair valuation procedures. Because foreign securities may trade on days when Fund shares are not priced, the value of securities held by the Fund can change on days when Fund shares cannot be redeemed or purchased. In the event that a foreign security’s market quotations are not readily available or are deemed unreliable (for reasons other than because the foreign exchange on which it trades closed before the Fund’s calculation of NAV), the security will be valued at its fair market value as determined in good faith by the Fund’s Valuation Designee in accordance with procedures approved by the Board as discussed below. Without fair valuation, it is possible that short-term traders could take advantage of the arbitrage opportunity and dilute the NAV of long-term investors. Fair valuation of the Fund’s portfolio securities can serve to reduce arbitrage opportunities available to short-term traders, but there is no assurance that it will prevent dilution of the Fund’s NAV by short-term traders. In addition, because the Fund may invest in underlying ETFs which hold portfolio securities primarily listed on foreign (non-U.S.) exchanges, and these exchanges may trade on weekends or other days when the underlying ETFs do not price their shares, the value of these portfolio securities may change on days when you may not be able to buy or sell Fund shares.

Investments initially valued in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are converted to U.S. dollars using exchange rates obtained from pricing services. As a result, the NAV of the Fund’s shares may be affected by changes in the value of currencies in relation to the U.S. dollar. The value of securities traded in markets outside the United States or denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar may be affected significantly on a day that the New York Stock Exchange is closed and an investor is not able to purchase, redeem or exchange shares.

Fund shares are valued at the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) (the "NYSE Close") on each day that the New York Stock Exchange is open. For purposes of calculating the NAV, the Fund normally use pricing data for domestic equity securities received shortly after the NYSE Close and does not normally take into account trading, clearances or settlements that take place after the NYSE Close. Domestic fixed income and foreign securities are normally priced using data reflecting the earlier closing of the principal markets for those securities. Information that becomes known to the Fund or its agents after the NAV has been calculated on a particular day will not generally be used to retroactively adjust the price of the security or the NAV determined earlier that day.

When market quotations are not readily available or deemed unreliable, the Fund may value securities at fair value as determined in good faith by the Valuation Designee, pursuant to procedures approved by the Board. Fair valuation may also be used by the Valuation Designee if extraordinary events occur after the close of the relevant market but prior to the NYSE Close.

Orders for shares received by the Fund in good order prior to the close of business on the NYSE on each day during such periods that the NYSE is open for trading are priced at NAV per share computed as of the close of the regular session of trading on the NYSE. Orders received in good order after the close of the NYSE, or on a day it is not open for trading, are priced at the close of such NYSE on the next day on which it is open for trading at the next determined NAV or offering price per share.

The Fund will redeem all or any portion of a shareholder’s shares in the Fund when requested in accordance with the procedures set forth in the “Redemptions” section of the Prospectus. Under the 1940 Act, a shareholder’s right to redeem shares and to receive payment therefore may be suspended at times:

(c) when an emergency exists as a result of which disposal by the Fund of securities owned by it is not reasonably practicable or it is not reasonably practicable for the Fund to fairly determine the value of its net assets, provided that applicable rules and regulations of the SEC (or any succeeding governmental authority) will govern as to whether the conditions prescribed in (b) or (c) exist; or

(d) when the SEC by order permits a suspension of the right to redemption or a postponement of the date of payment on redemption.

In case of suspension of the right of redemption, payment of a redemption request will be made based on the NAV next determined after the termination of the suspension.

The Fund may purchase shares of certain series which charge a redemption fee to shareholders (such as the Fund) that redeem shares of the underlying fund within a certain period of time (such as one year). The fee is payable to the underlying fund. Accordingly, if the Fund were to invest in an underlying fund and incur a redemption fee as a result of redeeming shares in such underlying fund, the Fund would bear such redemption fee. The Fund will not, however, invest in shares of an underlying fund that is sold with a contingent deferred sales load.

Supporting documents in addition to those listed under “Redemptions” in the Prospectus will be required from executors, administrators, Trustees, or if redemption is requested by someone other than the shareholder of record. Such documents include, but are not restricted to, stock powers, Trust instruments, certificates of death, appointments as executor, certificates of corporate authority and waiver of tax required in some states when settling estates.

Under section 72.1021(a) of the Texas Property Code, initial investors in the Fund who are Texas residents may designate a representative to receive notices of abandoned property in connection with Fund shares. Texas shareholders who wish to appoint a representative should notify the Trust’s Transfer Agent by writing to the respective Fund at the address below to obtain a form for providing written notice to the Trust:

The following discussion is general in nature and should not be regarded as an exhaustive presentation of all possible tax ramifications. The tax considerations relevant to a specific shareholder depend upon its specific circumstances, and the following general summary does not attempt to discuss all potential tax considerations that could be relevant to a prospective shareholder with respect to the Fund or its investments. This general summary is based on the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), the Federal Income Tax Regulations promulgated thereunder, and administrative and judicial interpretations thereof as of the date hereof, all of which are subject to change (potentially on a retroactive basis).

The following discussion of tax consequences is for the general information of shareholders that are subject to tax. Shareholders that are IRAs or other qualified retirement plans are exempt from income taxation under the Code. All shareholders should consult a qualified tax advisor regarding their investment in the Fund.

The Fund has elected to qualify and intends to continue to qualify to be treated as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Code, for each taxable year by complying with all applicable requirements regarding the source of its income, the diversification of its assets, and the timing and amount of its distributions. The Fund’s policy is to distribute to its shareholders all of its investment company taxable income and any net realized capital gains for each fiscal year in a manner that complies with the distribution requirements of the Code, so that the Fund will not be subject to any federal income or excise taxes based on net income. However, the Board may elect to pay such excise taxes if it determines that payment is, under the circumstances, in the best interests of the Fund. If the Fund does not qualify as a regulated investment company, it may be taxed as a corporation.

In order to qualify as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Code, the Fund must, among other things, derive at least 90% of its gross income each year from dividends, interest, payments with respect to loans of stock and securities, gains from the sale or other disposition of stock or securities or foreign currency gains

related to investments in stock or securities, or other income (generally including gains from options, futures or forward contracts) derived with respect to the business of investing in stock, securities or currency, and net income derived from an interest in a qualified publicly traded partnership. The Fund must also satisfy the following two asset diversification tests. At the end of each quarter of each taxable year, (i) at least 50% of the value of the Fund’s total assets must be represented by cash and cash items (including receivables), U.S. Government securities, the securities of other regulated investment companies, and other securities, with such other securities being limited in respect of any one issuer to an amount not greater than 5% of the market value of such Fund’s total assets and not more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (ii) not more than 25% of the value of the Fund’s total assets may be invested in the securities of any one issuer (other than U.S. Government securities or the securities of other regulated investment companies), the securities of any two or more issuers (other than the securities of other regulated investment companies) that such Fund controls (by owning 20% or more of their outstanding voting stock) and that are determined to be engaged in the same or similar trades or businesses or related trades or businesses, or the securities of one or more qualified publicly traded partnerships. The Fund must also distribute each taxable year sufficient dividends to its shareholders to claim a dividends paid deduction equal to at least the sum of 90% of such Fund’s investment company taxable income (which generally includes dividends, interest, and the excess of net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss) and 90% of such Fund’s net tax-exempt interest, if any. Following the enactment of the Regulated Investment Company Act of 2010, if the Fund fails to satisfy these qualifying income and asset tests, and such failure was due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, it may be permitted to “cure” such failures (and thereby not jeopardize its tax status as a regulated investment company) under certain circumstances.

If the Fund fails to qualify as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Code in any fiscal year (and such failure is not subject to cure as discussed above), it will be treated as a corporation for federal income tax purposes. The Fund would be required to pay income taxes on its net investment income and net realized capital gains, if any, at the rates generally applicable to corporations. Shareholders of such Fund generally would not be liable for income tax on the Fund’s net investment income or net realized capital gains in their individual capacities. Distributions to shareholders, whether from the Fund’s net investment income or net realized capital gains, would be treated as taxable dividends to the extent of current or accumulated earnings and profits of such Fund.

In addition to the taxable year 90% distribution requirement described in the previous paragraph, and in order to avoid the imposition of a nondeductible 4% excise tax, the Fund must distribute (or be deemed to have distributed) by December 31 of each calendar year (i) at least 98% of its ordinary income for such year, (ii) at least 98.2% of the excess of its realized capital gains over its realized capital losses for the 12-month period ending on October 31 during such year, and (iii) any amounts from prior years that were not distributed and on which no federal income tax was paid. The Fund intend to declare and pay dividends and other distributions, as stated in the Prospectus.

Net investment income generally consists of interest and dividend income, less expenses. Net realized capital gains for a fiscal period are computed by taking into account any capital loss carryforward of the Fund.

Under recently enacted legislation, capital losses sustained and not used in a taxable year may be carried forward indefinitely to offset capital gains of the Fund in future years.

Distributions of net investment income and net realized capital gains by the Fund will be taxable to shareholders whether made in cash or reinvested by the Fund in shares. Shareholders receiving a distribution from the Fund in the form of additional shares will have a cost basis for federal income tax purposes in each share so received equal to the NAV of a share of the Fund on the reinvestment date. Fund distributions also will be included in individual and corporate shareholders’ income on which the alternative minimum tax may be imposed.

The Fund or the securities dealer affecting a redemption of the Fund’s shares by a shareholder will be required to file information reports with the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) with respect to distributions and payments made to the shareholder. In addition, the Fund will be required to withhold federal income tax on taxable dividends,

redemptions and other payments made to accounts of individual or other non–exempt shareholders who have not furnished their correct taxpayer identification numbers and certain required certifications on the New Account application or with respect to which the Fund or the securities dealer has been notified by the IRS that the number furnished is incorrect or that the account is otherwise subject to withholding.

The Fund may receive dividend distributions from U.S. corporations. To the extent that the Fund receive such dividends and distributes them to its shareholders, and meets certain other requirements of the Code, corporate shareholders of the Fund may be entitled to the “dividends received” deduction. Availability of the deduction is subject to certain holding period and debt–financing limitations.

Distributions of net investment income and net short-term capital gains are taxable to shareholders as ordinary income or qualified dividend income. Under current law, distributions of certain qualified dividend income paid out of the Fund’s investment company taxable income may be taxable to non-corporate shareholders at long-term capital gain rates, which are currently significantly lower than the highest rate that applies to ordinary income.

The Fund may be subject to foreign withholding taxes on dividends and interest earned with respect to securities of foreign corporations.

The use of hedging strategies, such as entering into futures contracts and forward contracts and purchasing options, involves complex rules that will determine the character and timing of recognition of the income received in connection therewith by the Fund. Income from foreign currencies (except certain gains therefrom that may be excluded by future regulations) and income from transactions in options, futures contracts and forward contracts derived by the Fund with respect to its business of investing in securities or foreign currencies will qualify as permissible income under Subchapter M of the Code.

For accounting purposes, when the Fund purchases an option, the premium paid by the Fund is recorded as an asset and is subsequently adjusted to the current market value of the option. Any gain or loss realized by the Fund upon the expiration or sale of such options held by the Fund generally will be capital gain or loss.

Any security, option, or other position entered into or held by the Fund that substantially diminishes the Fund’s risk of loss from any other position held by the Fund may constitute a “straddle” for federal income tax purposes. In general, straddles are subject to certain rules that may affect the amount, character and timing of the Fund’s gains and losses with respect to straddle positions by requiring, among other things, that the loss realized on disposition of one position of a straddle be deferred until gain is realized on disposition of the offsetting position; that the Fund’s holding period in certain straddle positions not begin until the straddle is terminated (possibly resulting in the gain being treated as short–term capital gain rather than long–term capital gain); and that losses recognized with respect to certain straddle positions, which would otherwise constitute short–term capital losses, be treated as long–term capital losses. Different elections are available to the Fund that may mitigate the effects of the straddle rules.

Certain options, futures contracts and forward contracts that are subject to Section 1256 of the Code (“Section 1256 Contracts”) and that are held by the Fund at the end of its taxable year generally will be required to be “marked to market” for federal income tax purposes, that is, deemed to have been sold at market value. Sixty percent of any net gain or loss recognized on these deemed sales and 60% of any net gain or loss realized from any actual sales of Section 1256 Contracts will be treated as long–term capital gain or loss, and the balance will be treated as short–term capital gain or loss.

Section 988 of the Code contains special tax rules applicable to certain foreign currency transactions that may affect the amount, timing and character of income, gain or loss recognized by the Fund. Under these rules, foreign exchange gain or loss realized with respect to foreign currency–denominated debt instruments, foreign currency forward contracts, foreign currency denominated payables and receivables and foreign currency options and futures contracts (other than options and futures contracts that are governed by the mark–to–market and 60/40 rules of Section 1256 of the Code and for which no election is made) is treated as ordinary income or loss. Some part of the Fund’s gain

or loss on the sale or other disposition of shares of a foreign corporation may, because of changes in foreign currency exchange rates, be treated as ordinary income or loss under Section 988 of the Code rather than as capital gain or loss.

A shareholder who purchases shares of the Fund by tendering payment for the shares in the form of other securities may be required to recognize gain or loss for income tax purposes on the difference, if any, between the adjusted basis of the securities tendered to the fund and the purchase price of the Fund’s shares acquired by the shareholder.

Section 475 of the Code requires that a “dealer” in securities must generally “mark to market” at the end of its taxable year all securities which it owns. The resulting gain or loss is treated as ordinary (and not capital) gain or loss, except to the extent allocable to periods during which the dealer held the security for investment. The “mark to market” rules do not apply, however, to a security held for investment which is clearly identified in the dealer’s records as being held for investment before the end of the day in which the security was acquired. The IRS has issued guidance under Section 475 that provides that, for example, a bank that regularly originates and sells loans is a dealer in securities, and subject to the “mark to market” rules. Shares of the Fund held by a dealer in securities will be subject to the “mark to market” rules unless they are held by the dealer for investment and the dealer property identifies the shares as held for investment.

Redemptions of shares of the Fund will result in gains or losses for tax purposes to the extent of the difference between the proceeds and the shareholder’s adjusted tax basis for the shares. Any loss realized upon the redemption of shares within six months from their date of purchase will be treated as a long–term capital loss to the extent of distributions of long–term capital gain dividends during such six–month period. All or a portion of a loss realized upon the redemption of shares may be disallowed to the extent shares are purchased (including shares acquired by means of reinvested dividends) within 30 days before or after such redemption.

Distributions and redemptions may be subject to state and local income taxes, and the treatment thereof may differ from the federal income tax treatment. Foreign taxes may apply to non–U.S. investors.

Nonresident aliens and foreign persons are subject to different tax rules, and may be subject to withholding of up to 30% on certain payments received from the Fund. Shareholders are advised to consult with their own tax advisers concerning the application of foreign, federal, state and local taxes to an investment in the Fund.

To the extent such investments are permissible for the Fund, the Fund’s transactions in options, futures contracts, hedging transactions, forward contracts, straddles and foreign currencies will be subject to special tax rules (including mark-to-market, constructive sale, straddle, wash sale and short sale rules), the effect of which may be to accelerate income to the Fund, defer losses to the Fund, cause adjustments in the holding periods of the Fund’s securities, convert long-term capital gains into short-term capital gains and convert short-term capital losses into long-term capital losses. These rules could therefore affect the amount, timing and character of distributions to shareholders.

To the extent such investments are permissible, certain of the Fund’s hedging activities (including its transactions, if any, in foreign currencies or foreign currency-denominated instruments) are likely to produce a difference between its book income and its taxable income. If the Fund’s book income exceeds its taxable income, the distribution (if any) of such excess book income will be treated as (i) a dividend to the extent of the Fund’s remaining earnings and profits (including earnings and profits arising from tax-exempt income), (ii) thereafter, as a return of capital to the extent of the recipient’s basis in the shares, and (iii) thereafter, as gain from the sale or exchange of a capital asset. If the Fund’s book income is less than taxable income, the Fund could be required to make distributions exceeding book income to qualify as a regulated investment company that is accorded special tax treatment.

Investment by the Fund in certain “passive foreign investment companies” (“PFICs”) could subject the Fund to a U.S. federal income tax (including interest charges) on distributions received from the company or on proceeds received from the disposition of shares in the company, which tax cannot be eliminated by making distributions to Fund shareholders. However, the Fund may elect to treat a PFIC as a “qualified electing fund” (“QEF”), in which case the Fund will be required to include its share of the company’s income and net capital gains annually, regardless of whether it receives any distribution from the company.

The Fund also may make an election to mark the gains (and to a limited extent losses) in such holdings “to the market” as though it had sold and repurchased its holdings in those PFICs on the last day of the Fund’s taxable year. Such gains and losses are treated as ordinary income and loss. The QEF and mark-to-market elections may accelerate the recognition of income (without the receipt of cash) and increase the amount required to be distributed for the Fund to avoid taxation. Making either of these elections therefore may require the Fund to liquidate other investments (including when it is not advantageous to do so) to meet its distribution requirement, which also may accelerate the recognition of gain and affect the Fund’s total return.

The Fund’s transactions in foreign currencies, foreign currency-denominated debt securities and certain foreign currency options, futures contracts and forward contracts (and similar instruments) may give rise to ordinary income or loss to the extent such income or loss results from fluctuations in the value of the foreign currency concerned.

Income received by the Fund from sources within foreign countries may be subject to withholding and other taxes imposed by such countries. Tax treaties and conventions between certain countries and the U.S. may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If more than 50% of the value of the Fund’s total assets at the close of its taxable year consists of securities of foreign corporations, the Fund may be able to elect to “pass through” to its shareholders the amount of eligible foreign income and similar taxes paid by the Fund. If this election is made, a shareholder generally subject to tax will be required to include in gross income (in addition to taxable dividends actually received) his or her pro rata share of the foreign taxes paid by the Fund, and may be entitled either to deduct (as an itemized deduction) his or her pro rata share of foreign taxes in computing his or her taxable income or to use it as a foreign tax credit against his or her U.S. federal income tax liability, subject to certain limitations. In particular, a shareholder must hold his or her shares (without protection from risk of loss) on the ex-dividend date and for at least 15 more days during the 30-day period surrounding the ex-dividend date to be eligible to claim a foreign tax credit with respect to a gain dividend. No deduction for foreign taxes may be claimed by a shareholder who does not itemize deductions. Each shareholder will be notified within 60 days after the close of the Fund’s taxable year whether the foreign taxes paid by the Fund will “pass through” for that year.

Generally, a credit for foreign taxes is subject to the limitation that it may not exceed the shareholder’s U.S. tax attributable to his or her total foreign source taxable income. For this purpose, if the pass-through election is made, the source of the Fund’s income will flow through to shareholders of the Fund. With respect to the Fund, gains from the sale of securities will be treated as derived from U.S. sources and certain currency fluctuation gains, including fluctuation gains from foreign currency-denominated debt securities, receivables and payables will be treated as ordinary income derived from U.S. sources. The limitation on the foreign tax credit is applied separately to foreign source passive income, and to certain other types of income. A shareholder may be unable to claim a credit for the full amount of his or her proportionate share of the foreign taxes paid by the Fund. The foreign tax credit can be used to offset only 90% of the revised alternative minimum tax imposed on corporations and individuals and foreign taxes generally are not deductible in computing alternative minimum taxable income.

Current federal tax law requires the holder of a U.S. Treasury or other fixed income zero coupon security to accrue as income each year a portion of the discount at which the security was purchased, even though the holder receives no interest payment in cash on the security during the year. In addition, pay-in-kind securities will give rise to income, which is required to be distributed and is taxable even though the Fund holding the security receives no interest payment in cash on the security during the year.

Some of the debt securities (with a fixed maturity date of more than one year from the date of issuance) that may be acquired by the Fund may be treated as debt securities that are issued originally at a discount. Generally, the amount of the original issue discount (“OID”) is treated as interest income and is included in income over the term of the debt security, even though payment of that amount is not received until a later time, usually when the debt security matures. A portion of the OID includable in income with respect to certain high-yield corporate debt securities (including certain pay-in-kind securities) may be treated as a dividend for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

In addition, the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act requires that taxpayers, such as the Fund, that use an accrual method of accounting for U.S. federal income tax purposes are generally required to include certain amounts in income no later than the time such amounts are reflected on such taxpayer’s applicable financial statements. Certain fees treated as OID may be included as income for financial statement purposes when received (as opposed to being accrued into income over the term of the debt instrument), which may thus require such amounts be treated as taxable income of the Fund upon their receipt.

Some of the debt securities (with a fixed maturity date of more than one year from the date of issuance) that may be acquired by the Fund in the secondary market may be treated as having market discount. Generally, any gain recognized on the disposition of, and any partial payment of principal on, a debt security having market discount is treated as ordinary income to the extent the gain, or principal payment, does not exceed the “accrued market discount” on such debt security. Market discount generally accrues in equal daily installments. The Fund may make one or more of the elections applicable to debt securities having market discount, which could affect the character and timing of recognition of income.

Some debt securities (with a fixed maturity date of one year or less from the date of issuance) that may be acquired by the Fund may be treated as having acquisition discount, or OID in the case of certain types of debt securities. Generally, the Fund will be required to include the acquisition discount, or OID, in income over the term of the debt security, even though payment of that amount is not received until a later time, usually when the debt security matures. The Fund may make one or more of the elections applicable to debt securities having acquisition discount, or OID, which could affect the character and timing of recognition of income.

If the Fund holds the foregoing kinds of securities, it may be required to pay out as an income distribution each year an amount that is greater than the total amount of cash interest the Fund actually received. Such distributions may be made from the cash assets of the Fund or by liquidation of portfolio securities, if necessary (including when it is not advantageous to do so). The Fund may realize gains or losses from such liquidations. In the event the Fund realizes net capital gains from such transactions, its shareholders may receive a larger capital gain distribution, if any, than they would in the absence of such transactions.

Shareholders of the Fund may be subject to state and local taxes on distributions received from the Fund and on redemptions of the Fund’s shares.

A brief explanation of the form and character of the distribution accompanies each distribution. In January of each year the Fund issues to each shareholder a statement of the federal income tax status of all distributions.

Shareholders should consult their tax advisors about the application of federal, state and local and foreign tax law in light of their particular situation.

The Fund will receive income in the form of dividends and interest earned on its investments in securities. This income, less the expenses incurred in its operations, is the Fund’s net investment income, substantially all of which will be declared as dividends to the Fund’s shareholders.

The amount of income dividend payments by the Fund is dependent upon the amount of net investment income received by the Fund from its portfolio holdings, is not guaranteed and is subject to the discretion of the Board. The Fund does not pay “interest” or guarantee any fixed rate of return on an investment in its shares.

The Fund also may derive capital gains or losses in connection with sales or other dispositions of its portfolio securities. Any net gain the Fund may realize from transactions involving investments held less than the period required for long–term capital gain or loss recognition or otherwise producing short–term capital gains and losses, although a distribution from capital gains, will be distributed to shareholders with and as a part of dividends giving rise to ordinary income. If during any year the Fund realizes a net gain on transactions involving investments held more than the period required for long–term capital gain or loss recognition or otherwise producing long–term capital gains and losses, the Fund will have a net long–term capital gain. For more information concerning applicable capital gains tax rates, see your tax advisor.

Any dividend or distribution paid by the Fund reduces the Fund’s NAV per share on the date paid by the amount of the dividend or distribution per share. Accordingly, a dividend or distribution paid shortly after a purchase of shares by a shareholder would represent, in substance, a partial return of capital (to the extent it is paid on the shares so purchased), even though it would be subject to income taxes.

Dividends and other distributions will be made in the form of additional shares of the Fund unless the shareholder has otherwise indicated. Investors have the right to change their elections with respect to the reinvestment of dividends and distributions by notifying the Transfer Agent in writing, but any such change will be effective only as to dividends and other distributions for which the record date is seven or more business days after the Transfer Agent has received the written request.

There are and will likely continue to be proposals for amendments to federal income tax laws that could, if enacted, have adverse effects on the Fund, their investments or their shareholders. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors about the application of federal, state and local and foreign tax law in light of their particular situation.

The above discussion and the related discussion in the Prospectus are not intended to be complete discussions of all applicable federal tax consequences of an investment in the Fund. Alston & Bird LLP has expressed no opinion in respect thereof.

The Funds’ annual report to shareholders for the fiscal year ended [______], will be available, without charge, upon request by calling (855) 580-0900 and the financial statements, accompanying notes and report of the independent registered public accounting firm appearing therein are incorporated by reference into this SAI.

A Standard & Poor’s issue credit rating is a forward-looking opinion about the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to a specific financial obligation, a specific class of financial obligations, or a specific financial program (including ratings on medium-term note programs and commercial paper programs). It takes into consideration the creditworthiness of guarantors, insurers, or other forms of credit enhancement on the obligation and takes into account the currency in which the obligation is denominated. The opinion reflects Standard & Poor’s view of the obligor’s capacity and willingness to meet its financial commitments as they come due, and may assess terms, such as collateral security and subordination, which could affect ultimate payment in the event of default.

Issue credit ratings can be either long term or short term. Short-term ratings are generally assigned to those obligations considered short-term in the relevant market. In the U.S., for example, that means obligations with an original maturity of no more than 365 days—including commercial paper. Short-term ratings are also used to indicate the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to put features on long-term obligations. The result is a dual rating, in which the short-term rating addresses the put feature, in addition to the usual long-term rating. Medium-term notes are assigned long-term ratings.

A short-term obligation rated ‘A-1’ is rated in the highest category by Standard & Poor’s. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on these obligations is extremely strong.

A short-term obligation rated ‘A-2’ is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is satisfactory.

A short-term obligation rated ‘A-3’ exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

A short-term obligation rated ‘B’ is regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. Ratings of ‘B-1’, ‘B-2’, and ‘B-3’ may be assigned to indicate finer distinctions within the ‘B’ category. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties which could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

A short-term obligation rated ‘B-1’ is regarded as having significant speculative characteristics, but the obligor has a relatively stronger capacity to meet its financial commitments over the short-term compared to other speculative-grade obligors.

A short-term obligation rated ‘B-2’ is regarded as having significant speculative characteristics, and the obligor has an average speculative-grade capacity to meet its financial commitments over the short-term compared to other speculative-grade obligors.

A short-term obligation rated ‘B-3’ is regarded as having significant speculative characteristics, and the obligor has a relatively weaker capacity to meet its financial commitments over the short-term compared to other speculative-grade obligors.

A short-term obligation rated ‘C’ is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

A short-term obligation rated ‘D’ is in payment default. The ‘D’ rating category is used when payments on an obligation, including a regulatory capital instrument, are not made on the date due even if the applicable grace period has not expired, unless Standard & Poor’s believes that such payments will be made during such grace period. The ‘D’ rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action if payments on an obligation are jeopardized.

This is a rating of a stand-alone capacity of an issue to pay debt service on a credit-enhanced debt issue, without giving effect to the enhancement that applies to it. These ratings are published only at the request of the debt issuer/obligor with the designation SPUR to distinguish them from the credit-enhanced rating that applies to the debt issue. Standard & Poor’s maintains surveillance of an issue with a published SPUR.

Standard & Poor’s assigns “dual” ratings to all debt issues that have a put option or demand feature as part of their structure. The first rating addresses the likelihood of repayment of principal and interest as due, and the second rating addresses only the demand feature. The long-term rating symbols are used for bonds to denote the long-term maturity and the short-term rating symbols for the put option (for example, ‘AAA/A-1+’). With U.S. municipal short-term demand debt, note rating symbols are used with the short-term issue credit rating symbols (for example, ‘SP-1+/A-1+’).

The ratings and other credit related opinions of Standard & Poor’s and its affiliates are statements of opinion as of the date they are expressed and not statements of fact or recommendations to purchase, hold, or sell any securities or make any investment decisions. Standard & Poor’s assumes no obligation to update any information following publication. Users of ratings and credit related opinions should not rely on them in making any investment decision. Standard &Poor’s opinions and analyses do not address the suitability of any security. Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC does not act as a fiduciary or an investment advisor. While Standard & Poor’s has obtained information from sources it believes to be reliable, Standard & Poor’s does not perform an audit and undertakes no duty of due diligence or independent verification of any information it receives. Ratings and credit related opinions may be changed, suspended, or withdrawn at any time.

This subscript is used for issues in which the credit factors, terms, or both, that determine the likelihood of receipt of payment of interest are different from the credit factors, terms or both that determine the likelihood of receipt of principal on the obligation. The ‘i’ subscript indicates that the rating addresses the interest portion of the obligation only. The ‘i’ subscript will always be used in conjunction with the ‘p’ subscript, which addresses likelihood of receipt of principal. For example, a rated obligation could be assigned ratings of “AAAp NRi” indicating that the principal portion is rated “AAA” and the interest portion of the obligation is not rated.

Ratings qualified with ‘L’ apply only to amounts invested up to federal deposit insurance limits.

This subscript is used for issues in which the credit factors, the terms, or both, that determine the likelihood of receipt of payment of principal are different from the credit factors, terms or both that determine the likelihood of receipt of interest on the obligation. The ‘p’ subscript indicates that the rating addresses the principal portion of the obligation only. The ‘p’ subscript will always be used in conjunction with the ‘i’ subscript, which addresses likelihood of receipt of interest. For example, a rated obligation could be assigned ratings of “AAAp NRi” indicating that the principal portion is rated “AAA” and the interest portion of the obligation is not rated.

Ratings with a ‘pi’ subscript are based on an analysis of an issuer’s published financial information, as well as additional information in the public domain. They do not, however, reflect in-depth meetings with an issuer’s management and therefore may be based on less comprehensive information than ratings without a ‘pi’ subscript. Ratings with a ‘pi’ subscript are reviewed annually based on a new year’s financial statements, but may be reviewed on an interim basis if a major event occurs that may affect the issuer’s credit quality.

The letters ‘pr’ indicate that the rating is provisional. A provisional rating assumes the successful completion of the project financed by the debt being rated and indicates that payment of debt service requirements is largely or entirely dependent upon the successful, timely completion of the project. This rating, however, while addressing credit quality subsequent to completion of the project, makes no comment on the likelihood of or the risk of default upon failure of such completion. The investor should exercise his own judgment with respect to such likelihood and risk.

Preliminary ratings are assigned to issues, including financial programs, in the following circumstances.

This symbol indicates termination structures that are designed to honor their contracts to full maturity or, should certain events occur, to terminate and cash settle all their contracts before their final maturity date.

Unsolicited ratings are those credit ratings assigned at the initiative of Standard & Poor’s and not at the request of the issuer or its agents.

This symbol indicated continuance of the ratings is contingent upon Standard & Poor’s receipt of an executed copy of the escrow agreement or closing documentation confirming investments and cash flows. Discontinued use in August 1998.

This qualifier was used to provide additional information to investors that the bank may terminate its obligation to purchase tendered bonds if the long-term credit rating of the issuer is below an investment-grade level and/or the issuer’s bonds are deemed taxable. Discontinued use in January 2001.

A ‘q’ subscript indicates that the rating is based solely on quantitative analysis of publicly available information. Discontinued use in April 2001.

The ‘r’ modifier was assigned to securities containing extraordinary risks, particularly market risks, that are not covered in the credit rating. The absence of an ‘r’ modifier should not be taken as an indication that an obligation will not exhibit extraordinary non-credit related risks. Standard & Poor’s discontinued the use of the ‘r’ modifier for most obligations in June 2000 and for the balance of obligations (mainly structured finance transactions) in November 2002.

Country risk considerations are a standard part of Standard & Poor’s analysis for credit ratings on any issuer or issue. Currency of repayment is a key factor in this analysis. An obligor’s capacity to repay foreign currency obligations may be lower than its capacity to repay obligations in its local currency due to the sovereign government’s own relatively lower capacity to repay external versus domestic debt. These sovereign risk considerations are incorporated in the debt ratings assigned to specific issues. Foreign currency issuer ratings are also distinguished from local currency issuer ratings to identify those instances where sovereign risks make them different for the same issuer.

The system of rating securities was originated by John Moody in 1909. The purpose of Moody’s ratings is to provide investors with a simple system of gradation by which relative creditworthiness of securities may be noted.

Gradations of creditworthiness are indicated by rating symbols, with each symbol representing a group in which the credit characteristics are broadly the same. There are nine symbols as shown below, from that used to designate least credit risk to that denoting greatest credit risk:

Moody’s appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa.

Where no rating has been assigned or where a rating has been withdrawn, it may be for reasons unrelated to the creditworthiness of the issue.

2. The issue or issuer belongs to a group of securities or entities that are not rated as a matter of policy.

4. The issue was privately placed, in which case the rating is not published in Moody’s publications.

Withdrawal may occur if new and material circumstances arise, the effects of which preclude satisfactory analysis; if there is no longer available reasonable up-to-date data to permit a judgment to be formed; if a bond is called for redemption; or for other reasons.

The credit quality of most issuers and their obligations is not fixed and steady over a period of time, but tends to undergo change. For this reason, changes in ratings occur so as to reflect variations in the intrinsic relative position of issuers and their obligations.

A change in rating may thus occur at any time in the case of an individual issue. Such rating change should serve notice that Moody’s observes some alteration in creditworthiness, or that the previous rating did not fully reflect the quality of the bond as now seen. While because of their very nature, changes are to be expected more frequently among bonds of lower ratings than among bonds of higher ratings. Nevertheless, the user of bond ratings should keep close and constant check on all ratings — both high and low — to be able to note promptly any signs of change in status that may occur.

Obligations carrying the same rating are not claimed to be of absolutely equal credit quality. In a broad sense, they are alike in position, but since there are a limited number of rating classes used in grading thousands of bonds, the symbols cannot reflect the same shadings of risk which actually exist.

As ratings are designed exclusively for the purpose of grading obligations according to their credit quality, they should not be used alone as a basis for investment operations. For example, they have no value in forecasting the direction of future trends of market price. Market price movements in bonds are influenced not only by the credit quality of individual issues but also by changes in money rates and general economic trends, as well as by the length of maturity, etc. During its life even the highest rated bond may have wide price movements, while its high rating status remains unchanged.

The matter of market price has no bearing whatsoever on the determination of ratings, which are not to be construed as recommendations with respect to “attractiveness”. The attractiveness of a given bond may depend on its yield, its maturity date or other factors for which the investor may search, as well as on its credit quality, the only characteristic to which the rating refers.

Since ratings involve judgments about the future, on the one hand, and since they are used by investors as a means of protection, on the other, the effort is made when assigning ratings to look at “worst” possibilities in the “visible” future, rather than solely at the past record and the status of the present. Therefore, investors using the rating should not expect to find in them a reflection of statistical factors alone, since they are an appraisal of long-term risks, including the recognition of many non-statistical factors.

Though ratings may be used by the banking authorities to classify bonds in their bank examination procedure, Moody’s ratings are not made with these bank regulations in mind. Moody’s Investors Service’s own judgment as to the desirability or non-desirability of a bond for bank investment purposes is not indicated by Moody’s ratings.

Moody’s ratings represent the opinion of Moody’s Investors Service as to the relative creditworthiness of securities. As such, they should be used in conjunction with the descriptions and statistics appearing in Moody’s publications. Reference should be made to these statements for information regarding the issuer. Moody’s ratings are not commercial credit ratings. In no case is default or receivership to be imputed unless expressly stated.

*As set forth more fully on the copyright, credit ratings are, and must be construed solely as, statements of opinion and not statements of fact or recommendations to purchase, sell or hold any securities. Each rating or other opinion must be weighed solely as one factor in any investment decision made by or on behalf of any user of the information, and each such user must accordingly make its own study and evaluation of each security and of each issuer and guarantor of, and each provider of credit support for, each security that it may consider purchasing, selling or holding.

Moody’s short-term ratings are opinions of the ability of issuers to honor short-term financial obligations. Ratings may be assigned to issuers, short-term programs or to individual short-term debt instruments. Such obligations generally have an original maturity not exceeding thirteen months, unless explicitly noted.

Moody’s employs the following designations to indicate the relative repayment ability of rated issuers:

Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-1 have a superior ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-2 have a strong ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-3 have an acceptable ability to repay short-term obligations.

Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories.

Note: Canadian issuers rated P-1 or P-2 have their short-term ratings enhanced by the senior-most long-term rating of the issuer, its guarantor or support-provider.

For those countries in which foreign and local currency sovereign ratings are below ‘AAA’, and where there is demand for such ratings, Fitch Ratings will provide National Ratings. It is important to note that each National Rating scale is unique and is defined to serve the needs of the local market in question.

The National Rating scale provides a relative measure of creditworthiness for rated entities only within the country concerned. Under this rating scale, a ‘AAA’ Long-Term National Rating will be assigned to the lowest relative risk within that country, which, in most but not all cases, will be the sovereign state.

The National Rating scale merely ranks the degree of perceived risk relative to the lowest default risk in that same country. Like local currency ratings, National Ratings exclude the effects of sovereign and transfer risk and exclude the possibility that investors may be unable to repatriate any due interest and principal repayments. It is not related to the rating scale of any other national market. Comparisons between different national scales or between an individual national scale and the international rating scale are therefore inappropriate and potentially misleading. Consequently, they are identified by the addition of a special identifier for the country concerned, such as ‘AAA(arg)’ for National Ratings in Argentina.

In certain countries, regulators have established credit rating scales, to be used within their domestic markets, using specific nomenclature. In these countries, the agency’s National Short-Term Rating definitions for ‘F1+(xxx)’, ‘F1(xxx)’, ‘F2(xxx)’ and ‘F3(xxx)’ may be substituted by the regulatory scales, e.g. ‘A1+’, ‘A1’, ‘A2’ and ‘A3’. The below definitions thus serve as a template, but users should consult the individual scales for each country listed on the agency’s web-site to determine if any additional or alternative category definitions apply.

F1(xxx)
Indicates the strongest capacity for timely payment of financial commitments relative to other issuers or obligations in the same country. Under the agency’s National Rating scale, this rating is assigned to the lowest default risk relative to others in the same country. Where the liquidity profile is particularly strong, a “+” is added to the assigned rating.

F2(xxx)
Indicates a good capacity for timely payment of financial commitments relative to other issuers or obligations in the same country. However, the margin of safety is not as great as in the case of the higher ratings.

F3(xxx)
Indicates an adequate capacity for timely payment of financial commitments relative to other issuers or obligations in the same country. However, such capacity is more susceptible to near-term adverse changes than for financial commitments in higher rated categories.

B(xxx)
Indicates an uncertain capacity for timely payment of financial commitments relative to other issuers or obligations in the same country. Such capacity is highly susceptible to near-term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.

C(xxx)
Indicates a highly uncertain capacity for timely payment of financial commitments relative to other issuers or obligations in the same country. Capacity for meeting financial commitments is solely reliant upon a sustained, favorable business and economic environment.

The ISO country code suffix is placed in parentheses immediately following the rating letters to indicate the identity of the National market within which the rating applies. For illustrative purposes, (xxx) has been used.

“+” or “-” may be appended to a National Rating to denote relative status within a major rating category. Such suffixes are not added to the ‘AAA(xxx)’ Long-Term National Rating category, to categories below ‘CCC(xxx)’, or to Short-Term National Ratings other than ‘F1(xxx)’.

Issue credit ratings are based, in varying degrees, on Standard & Poor’s analysis of the following considerations:

Issue ratings are an assessment of default risk, but may incorporate an assessment of relative seniority or ultimate recovery in the event of default. Junior obligations are typically rated lower than senior obligations, to reflect the lower priority in bankruptcy, as noted above. (Such differentiation may apply when an entity has both senior and subordinated obligations, secured and unsecured obligations, or operating company and holding company obligations.)

An obligation rated ‘AAA’ has the highest rating assigned by Standard & Poor’s. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong.

An obligation rated ‘AA’ differs from the highest-rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is very strong.

An obligation rated ‘A’ is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is still strong.

An obligation rated ‘BBB’ exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

Obligations rated ‘BB’, ‘B’, ‘CCC’, ‘CC’, and ‘C’ are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. ‘BB’ indicates the least degree of speculation and ‘C’ the highest. While such obligations will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures to adverse conditions.

An obligation rated ‘BB’ is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions which could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

An obligation rated ‘B’ is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated ‘BB’, but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor’s capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

An obligation rated ‘CCC’ is currently vulnerable to nonpayment, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

A ‘C’ rating is assigned to obligations that are currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, obligations that have payment arrearages allowed by the terms of the documents, or obligations of an issuer that is the subject of a bankruptcy petition or similar action which have not experienced a payment default. Among others, the ‘C’ rating may be assigned to subordinated debt, preferred stock or other obligations on which cash payments have been suspended in accordance with the instrument’s terms or when preferred stock is the subject of a distressed exchange offer, whereby some or all of the issue is either repurchased for an amount of cash or replaced by other instruments having a total value that is less than par.

An obligation rated ‘D’ is in payment default. The ‘D’ rating category is used when payments on an obligation, including a regulatory capital instrument, are not made on the date due even if the applicable grace period has not expired, unless Standard & Poor’s believes that such payments will be made during such grace period. The ‘D’ rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action if payments on an obligation are jeopardized. An obligation’s rating is lowered to ‘D’ upon completion of a distressed exchange offer, whereby some or all of the issue is either repurchased for an amount of cash or replaced by other instruments having a total value that is less than par.

The ratings from ‘AA’ to ‘CCC’ may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.

This indicates that no rating has been requested, that there is insufficient information on which to base a rating, or that Standard & Poor’s does not rate a particular obligation as a matter of policy.

See active and inactive qualifiers following Standard & Poors Short-Term Issue Credit Ratings beginning on page A-3.

Moody’s long-term obligation ratings are opinions of the relative credit risk of fixed-income obligations with an original maturity of one year or more. They address the possibility that a financial obligation will not be honored as promised. Such ratings reflect both the likelihood of default and any financial loss suffered in the event of default.

Obligations rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, with minimal credit risk.

Obligations rated Aa are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk.

Obligations rated A are considered upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk.

Obligations rated Baa are subject to moderate credit risk. They are considered medium-grade and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.

Obligations rated Ba are judged to have speculative elements and are subject to substantial credit risk.

Obligations rated B are considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk.

Obligations rated Caa are judged to be of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk.

Obligations rated Ca are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest.

Obligations rated C are the lowest rated class of bonds and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest.

Note: Moody’s appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category.

AAA(xxx)
‘AAA’ National Ratings denote the highest rating assigned by the agency in its National Rating scale for that country. This rating is assigned to issuers or obligations with the lowest expectation of default risk relative to all other issuers or obligations in the same country.

AA(xxx)
‘AA’ National Ratings denote expectations of very low default risk relative to other issuers or obligations in the same country. The default risk inherent differs only slightly from that of the country’s highest rated issuers or obligations.

A(xxx)
‘A’ National Ratings denote expectations of low default risk relative to other issuers or obligations in the same country. However, changes in circumstances or economic conditions may affect the capacity for timely repayment to a greater degree than is the case for financial commitments denoted by a higher rated category.

BBB(xxx)
‘BBB’ National Ratings denote a moderate default risk relative to other issuers or obligations in the same country. However, changes in circumstances or economic conditions are more likely to affect the capacity for timely repayment than is the case for financial commitments denoted by a higher rated category.

BB(xxx)
‘BB’ National Ratings denote an elevated default risk relative to other issuers or obligations in the same country. Within the context of the country, payment is uncertain to some degree and capacity for timely repayment remains more vulnerable to adverse economic change over time.

B(xxx)
‘B’ National Ratings denote a significantly elevated default risk relative to other issuers or obligations in the same country. Financial commitments are currently being met but a limited margin of safety remains and capacity for continued timely payments is contingent upon a sustained, favorable business and economic environment. For individual obligations, may indicate distressed or defaulted obligations with potential for extremely high recoveries.

CCC(xxx)
‘CCC’ National Ratings denote that default is a real possibility. Capacity for meeting financial commitments is solely reliant upon sustained, favorable business or economic conditions.

CC(xxx)
‘CC’ National Ratings denote that default of some kind appears probable.

D(xxx)
‘D’ National Ratings denote an issuer or instrument that is currently in default.

A Standard & Poor’s U.S. municipal note rating reflects Standard & Poor’s opinion about the liquidity factors and market access risks unique to the notes. Notes due in three years or less will likely receive a note rating. Notes with an original maturity of more than three years will most likely receive a long-term debt rating. In determining which type of rating, if any, to assign, Standard & Poor’s analysis will review the following considerations:

Strong capacity to pay principal and interest. An issue determined to possess a very strong capacity to pay debt service is given a plus (+) designation.

Satisfactory capacity to pay principal and interest, with some vulnerability to adverse financial and economic changes over the term of the notes.

See active and inactive qualifiers following Standard & Poors Short-Term Issue Credit Ratings beginning on page A-3.

There are three rating categories for short-term municipal obligations that are considered investment grade. These ratings are designated as Municipal Investment Grade (MIG) and are divided into three levels -- MIG 1 through MIG 3. In addition, those short-term obligations that are of speculative quality are designated SG, or speculative grade. MIG ratings expire at the maturity of the obligation.

This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by established cash flows, highly reliable liquidity support, or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing.

This designation denotes strong credit quality. Margins of protection are ample, although not as large as in the preceding group.

This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Liquidity and cash-flow protection may be narrow, and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well-established.

This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Debt instruments in this category may lack sufficient margins of protection.

In the case of variable rate demand obligations (VRDOs), a two-component rating is assigned; a long or short-term debt rating and a demand obligation rating. The first element represents Moody’s evaluation of the degree of risk associated with scheduled principal and interest payments. The second element represents Moody’s evaluation of the degree of risk associated with the ability to receive purchase price upon demand (“demand feature”), using a variation of the MIG rating scale, the Variable Municipal Investment Grade or VMIG rating.

When either the long- or short-term aspect of a VRDO is not rated, that piece is designated NR, e.g., Aaa/NR or NR/VMIG 1.

VMIG rating expirations are a function of each issue’s specific structural or credit features.

This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by the superior short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

This designation denotes strong credit quality. Good protection is afforded by the strong short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Adequate protection is afforded by the satisfactory short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Demand features rated in this category may be supported by a liquidity provider that does not have an investment grade short-term rating or may lack the structural and/or legal protections necessary to ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

Advisor’s proxy voting positions have been developed based on years of experience with proxy voting and corporate governance issues. These principles have been reviewed by various members of Advisor’s organization, including portfolio management, legal counsel, and Advisor’s officers. The Board of Directors of Advisor will approve the proxy voting policies and procedures annually.

Advisor does not consider recommendations from any other third party to be determinative of Advisor’s ultimate decision. As a matter of policy, the officers, directors and employees of Advisor will not be influenced by outside sources whose interests conflict with the interests of Advisory Clients.

All conflicts of interest will be resolved in the interests of the Advisory Clients. In situations where Advisor perceives a material conflict of interest, Advisor will disclose the conflict to the relevant Advisory Clients. In these cases, the Advisor will defer to the voting recommendation of an independent third party provider of proxy services, send the proxy directly to the relevant Advisory Clients for a voting decision, or take such other action in good faith (in consultation with counsel) which would protect the interests of the Advisory Clients.

One of the primary factors Advisor considers when determining the desirability of investing in a particular company is the quality and depth of that company’s management. Accordingly, the recommendation of management on any issue is a factor which Advisor considers in determining how proxies should be voted. However, Advisor does not consider recommendations from management to be determinative of Advisor’s ultimate decision. As a matter of practice, the votes with respect to most issues are cast in accordance with the position of the company’s management. Each issue, however, is considered on its own merits, and Advisor will not support the position of a company’s management in any situation where it determines that the ratification of management’s position would adversely affect the investment merits of owning that company’s shares.

Advisor has adopted general guidelines for voting proxies as summarized below. Although these guidelines are to be followed as a general policy, in all cases each proxy will be considered based on the relevant facts and circumstances. These guidelines cannot provide an exhaustive list of all the issues that may arise nor can Advisor anticipate all future situations. Corporate governance issues are diverse and continually evolving and Advisor devotes significant time and resources to monitor these changes.

The following guidelines reflect what Advisor believes to be good corporate governance and behavior:

to declassify the board of directors. While generally in favor of separating Chairman and CEO positions, Advisor will review this issue on a case-by-case basis taking into consideration other factors including the company’s corporate governance guidelines and performance.

The Advisor is fully cognizant of its responsibility to process proxies and maintain proxy records pursuant to SEC rules and regulations. In addition, Company understands its fiduciary duty to vote proxies and that proxy voting decisions may affect the value of shareholdings. Therefore, Company will attempt to process every proxy it receives for all domestic and foreign proxies. However, there may be situations in which

Company cannot vote proxies. For example, if the cost of voting a foreign proxy outweighs the benefit of voting, the Advisor may refrain from processing that vote. Additionally, the Advisor may not be given enough time to process the vote. For example, the Advisor may receive a meeting notice from the company too late, or may be unable to obtain a timely translation of the agenda. In addition, if Company has outstanding sell orders, the proxies for those meetings may not be voted in order to facilitate the sale of those securities. Although Company may hold shares on a company’s record date, should it sell them prior to the company’s meeting date, Company ultimately may decide not to vote those shares.

The following describes the standard procedures that are to be followed with respect to carrying out Company’s proxy policy:

The Advisor is responsible for maintaining appropriate proxy voting records. Such records will include, but are not limited to, a copy of all materials returned to the issuer and/or its agent, the documentation described above, listings of proxies voted by issuer and by client, and any other relevant information.

³Previously filed on June 16, 2011 in the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A, and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁴ Previously filed on June 28, 2011 in the Registrant's Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2, and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁵Previously filed on August 3, 2011 in the Registrant's Proxy/Registration Statement on Form N-14, and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁶Previously filed on August 3, 2011 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 2, and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁷ Previously filed on August 19, 2011 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 3, and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁸ Previously filed on August 26, 2011 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 4, and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁹ Previously filed on September 20, 2011 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 5, and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁰Previously filed on October 3, 2011 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 9, and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹¹ Previously filed on October 27, 2011 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 12, and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹²Previously filed on October 27, 2011 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 13, and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹³ Previously filed on November 2, 2011 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 14, and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁴Previously filed on November 17, 2011 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 18 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁵Previously filed on November 22, 2011 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 20 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁶Previously filed on December 14, 2011 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 24 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁷Previously filed on December 19, 2011 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 25 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁸Previously filed on December 20, 2011 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 27 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁹Previously filed on January 4, 2012 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 29 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²⁰Previously filed on January 10, 2012 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 31 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²¹Previously filed on January 10, 2012 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 32 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²²Previously filed on January 27, 2012 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 34 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²³Previously filed on February 2, 2012 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 37 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²⁴Previously filed on February 7, 2012 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 39 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²⁵Previously filed on February 10, 2012 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 40 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²⁶Previously filed on March 8, 2012 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 45 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²⁷Previously filed on March 9, 2012 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 46 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²⁸Previously filed on March 13, 2012 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 47 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²⁹Previously filed on March 23, 2012 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 51 and hereby incorporated by reference.

³⁰Previously filed on March 27, 2012 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 52 and hereby incorporated by reference.

³¹Previously filed on April 12, 2012 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 56 and hereby incorporated by reference.

³²Previously filed on April 17, 2012 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 57 and hereby incorporated by reference.

³³Previously filed on May 15, 2012 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 62 and hereby incorporated by reference.

³⁴Previously filed on May 25, 2012 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 65 and hereby incorporated by reference.

³⁵Previously filed on June 19, 2012 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 68 and hereby incorporated by reference.

³⁶Previously filed on June 28, 2012 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 69 and hereby incorporated by reference.

³⁷Previously filed on July 27, 2012 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 73 and hereby incorporated by reference.

³⁸Previously filed on August 17, 2012 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 75 and hereby incorporated by reference.

³⁹Previously filed on September 20, 2012 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 78 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁴⁰Previously filed on October 19, 2012 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 81 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁴¹Previously filed on November 9, 2012 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 86 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁴²Previously filed on December 28, 2012 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 88 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁴³Previously filed on January 17, 2013 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 91 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁴⁴Previously filed on January 30, 2013 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 92 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁴⁵Previously filed on February 1, 2013 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 93 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁴⁶Previously filed on March 22, 2013 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 95 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁴⁷Previously filed on March 28, 2013 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 96 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁴⁸Previously filed on April 17, 2013 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 99 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁴⁹Previously filed on April 30, 2013 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 101 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁵⁰Previously filed on June 7, 2013 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 103 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁵¹Previously filed on June 25, 2013 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 105 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁵²Previously filed on July 29, 2013 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 109 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁵³Previously filed on September 3, 2013 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 112 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁵⁴Previously filed on September 19, 2013 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 115 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁵⁵Previously filed on September 26, 2013 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 117 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁵⁶Previously filed on September 30, 2013 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 118 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁵⁷Previously filed on November 18, 2013 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 123 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁵⁸Previously filed on December 17, 2013 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 125 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁵⁹Previously filed on December 27, 2013 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 127 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁶⁰Previously filed on December 27, 2013 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 128 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁶¹Previously filed on December 30, 2013 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 131 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁶²Previously filed on January 13, 2014 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 134 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁶³Previously filed on January 13, 2014 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 135 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁶⁴Previously filed on March 14, 2014 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 138 and hereby incorporated by reference

⁶⁵Previously filed on March 26, 2014 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 141 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁶⁶Previously filed on March 26, 2014 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 142 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁶⁷Previously filed on March 27, 2014 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 143 and hereby incorporated by reference

⁶⁸Previously filed on March 27, 2014 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 144 and hereby incorporated by reference

⁶⁹Previously filed on March 27, 2014 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 145 and hereby incorporated by reference

⁷⁰Previously filed on March 28, 2014 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 146 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁷¹Previously filed on March 28, 2014 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 147 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁷²Previously filed on April 30, 2014 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 149 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁷³Previously filed on April 30, 2014 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 150 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁷⁴Previously filed on June 2, 2014 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 155 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁷⁵Previously filed on June 20, 2014 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 157 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁷⁶Previously filed on June 25, 2014 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 158 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁷⁷Previously filed on June 27, 2014 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 159 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁷⁸Previously filed on June 27, 2014 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 160 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁷⁹Previously filed on July 8, 2014 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 163 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁸⁰Previously filed on July 24, 2014 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 168 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁸¹Previously filed on September 3, 2014 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 170 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁸²Previously filed on September 24, 2014 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 175 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁸³Previously filed on September 24, 2014 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 176 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁸⁴Previously filed on September 25, 2014 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 177 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁸⁵Previously filed on September 26, 2014 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 178 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁸⁶Previously filed on November 21, 2014 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 189 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁸⁷Previously filed on December 4, 2014 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 190 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁸⁸Previously filed on December 23, 2014 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 192 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁸⁹Previously filed on December 29, 2014 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 192 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁹⁰Previously filed on December 30, 2014 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 197 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁹¹Previously filed on December 31, 2014 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 200 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁹²Previously filed on December 31, 2014 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 201 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁹³Previously filed on January 27, 2015 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 207 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁹⁴Previously filed on March 16, 2015 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 209 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁹⁵Previously filed on March 23, 2015 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 210 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁹⁶Previously filed on March 23, 2015 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 211 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁹⁷Previously filed on March 24, 2015 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 212 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁹⁸Previously filed on March 25, 2015 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 213 and hereby incorporated by reference.

⁹⁹Previously filed on March 27, 2015 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 214 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁰⁰Previously filed on March 30, 2015 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 215 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁰¹Previously filed on April 29, 2015 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 225 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁰²Previously filed on April 29, 2015 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 226 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁰³Previously filed on April 29, 2015 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 227 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁰⁴Previously filed on May 26, 2015 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 233 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁰⁵Previously filed on June 26, 2015 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 234 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁰⁶Previously filed on June 29, 2015 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 235 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁰⁷Previously filed on July 14, 2015 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 238 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁰⁸Previously filed on July 24, 2015 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 240 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁰⁹Previously filed on July 28, 2015 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 242 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹¹⁰Previously filed on September 23, 2015 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 251 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹¹¹Previously filed on September 23, 2015 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 252 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹¹²Previously filed on September 24, 2015 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 253 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹¹³Previously filed on September 25, 2015 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 254 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹¹⁴Previously filed on September 25, 2015 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 255 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹¹⁵Previously filed on September 28, 2015 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 256 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹¹⁶Previously filed on October 14, 2015 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 262 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹¹⁷Previously filed on November 19, 2015 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 268 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹¹⁸Previously filed on November 19, 2015 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 269 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹¹⁹Previously filed on December 21, 2015 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 280 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹²⁰Previously filed on December 21, 2015 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 281 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹²¹Previously filed on December 23, 2015 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 282 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹²²Previously filed on December 23, 2015 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 283 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹²³Previously filed on December 28, 2015 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 284 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹²⁴Previously filed on December 29, 2015 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 285 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹²⁵Previously filed on January 29, 2016 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 290 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹²⁶Previously filed on February 26, 2016 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 293 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹²⁷Previously filed on February 26, 2016 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 294 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹²⁸Previously filed on March 17, 2016 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 297 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹²⁹Previously filed on March 18, 2016 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 298 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹³⁰Previously filed on March 22, 2016 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 299 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹³¹Previously filed on March 23, 2016 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 300 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹³²Previously filed on March 28, 2016 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 301 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹³³Previously filed on March 28, 2016 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 301 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹³⁴Previously filed on April 22, 2016 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 308 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹³⁵Previously filed on June 26, 2016 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 312 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹³⁶Previously filed on July 27, 2016 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 313 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹³⁷Previously filed on September 27, 2016 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 315 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹³⁸Previously filed on September 27, 2016 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 316 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹³⁹Previously filed on September 27, 2016 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 317 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁴⁰Previously filed on September 27, 2016 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 318 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁴¹Previously filed on December 27, 2016 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 324 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁴²Previously filed on December 27, 2016 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 325 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁴³Previously filed on December 28, 2016 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 326 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁴⁴Previously filed on February 27, 2017 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 331 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁴⁵Previously filed on February 28, 2017 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 332 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁴⁶Previously filed on March 1, 2017 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 333 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁴⁷Previously filed on March 3, 2017 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 334 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁴⁸Previously filed on March 27, 2017 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 337 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁴⁹Previously filed on March 28, 2017 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 338 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁵⁰Previously filed on March 28, 2017 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 339 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁵¹Previously filed on March 29, 2017 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 340 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁵²Previously filed on March 29, 2017 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 341 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁵³Previously filed on April 13, 2017 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 347 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁵⁴Previously filed on April 28, 2017 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 348 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁵⁵Previously filed on May 17, 2017 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 351 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁵⁶Previously filed on June 16, 2017 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 353 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁵⁷Previously filed on June 27, 2017 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 354 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁵⁸Previously filed on July 28, 2017 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 356 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁵⁹Previously filed on August 25, 2017 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 358 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁶⁰9Previously filed on September 27, 2017 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 361 and hereby incorporated by reference

¹⁶¹Previously filed on September 27, 2017 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 362 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁶²Previously filed on November 22, 2017 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 367 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁶³Previously filed on December 4, 2017 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 370 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁶⁴Previously filed on December 27, 2017 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 372 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁶⁵Previously filed on December 27, 2017 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 373 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁶⁶Previously filed on December 28, 2017 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 374 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁶⁷Previously filed on February 23, 2018 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 379 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁶⁸Previously filed on March 26, 2018 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 381 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁶⁹Previously filed on March 26, 2018 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 382 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁷⁰Previously filed on March 27, 2018 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 383 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁷¹Previously filed on March 28, 2018 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 384 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁷²Previously filed on March 29, 2018 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 385 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁷³Previously filed on April 18, 2018 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 391 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁷⁴Previously filed on April 27, 2018 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 394 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁷⁵Previously filed on June 27, 2018 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 395 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁷⁶Previously filed on July 27, 2018 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 397 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁷⁷Previously filed on September 25, 2018 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 400 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁷⁸Previously filed on September 26, 2018 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 401 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁷⁹Previously filed on October 31, 2018 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 404 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁸⁰Previously filed on December 28, 2018 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 405 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁸¹Previously filed on December 28, 2018 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 406 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁸²Previously filed on February 27, 2019 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 411 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁸³Previously filed on March 26, 2019 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 413 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁸⁴Previously filed on March 26, 2019 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 414 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁸⁵Previously filed on March 27, 2019 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 415 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁸⁶Previously filed on March 28, 2019 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 416 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁸⁷Previously filed on March 29, 2019 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 417 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁸⁸Previously filed on April 5, 2019 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 422 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁸⁹Previously filed on April 26, 2019 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 428 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁹⁰Previously filed on April 29, 2019 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 429 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁹¹Previously filed on May 3, 2019 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 429 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁹²Previously filed on June 28, 2019 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 435 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁹³Previously filed on July 26, 2019 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 437 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁹⁴Previously filed on September 26, 2019 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 440 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁹⁵Previously filed on September 30, 2019 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 441 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁹⁶Previously filed on December 23, 2019 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 445 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁹⁷Previously filed on December 27, 2019 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 446 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁹⁸Previously filed on February 25, 2020 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 449 and hereby incorporated by reference.

¹⁹⁹Previously filed on February 25, 2020 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 450 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²⁰⁰Previously filed on March 24, 2020 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 453 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²⁰¹Previously filed on March 25, 2020 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 454 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²⁰²Previously filed on March 26, 2020 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 455 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²⁰³Previously filed on March 27, 2020 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 456 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²⁰⁴Previously filed on April 14, 2020 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 461 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²⁰⁵Previously filed on April 17, 2020 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 462 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²⁰⁶Previously filed on April 24, 2020 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 463 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²⁰⁷Previously filed on April 27, 2020 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 464 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²⁰⁸Previously filed on April 28, 2020 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 465 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²⁰⁹Previously filed on June 15, 2020 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 471 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²¹⁰Previously filed on June 25, 2020 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 472 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²¹¹Previously filed on July 27, 2020 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 475 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²¹²Previously filed on September 24, 2020 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 477 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²¹³Previously filed on September 25, 2020 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 478 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²¹⁴Previously filed on December 23, 2020 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 482 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²¹⁵Previously filed on February 25, 2021 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 484 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²¹⁶Previously filed on March 25, 2021 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 486 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²¹⁷Previously filed on March 26, 2021 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 487 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²¹⁸Previously filed on April 26, 2021 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 491 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²¹⁹Previously filed on April 26, 2021 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 492 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²²⁰Previously filed on April 27, 2021 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 493 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²²¹Previously filed on June 25, 2021 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 499 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²²²Previously filed on July 21, 2021 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 506 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²²³Previously filed on August 9, 2021 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 507 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²²⁴Previously filed on September 27, 2021 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 511 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²²⁵Previously filed on September 28, 2021 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 512 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²²⁶Previously filed on December 23 2021 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 517 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²²⁷Previously filed on January 31, 2022 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 522 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²²⁸Previously filed on February 25, 2022 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 523 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²²⁹Previously filed on March 24, 2022 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 524 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²³⁰Previously filed on March 25, 2022 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 525 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²³¹Previously filed on March 30, 2022 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 526 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²³²Previously filed on April 27, 2022 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 527 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²³³Previously filed on April 28, 2022 in the Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 528 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²³⁴Previously filed on April 29, 2022 in the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 529 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²³⁵Previously filed on June 29, 2022 in the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 530 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²³⁶Previously filed on September 23, 2022 in the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 531 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²³⁷Previously filed on September 27, 2022 in the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 532 and hereby incorporated by reference

²³⁸Previously filed on September 28, 2022 in the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 533 and hereby incorporated by reference.

²³⁹Previously filed on December 29, 2022 in the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 534 and hereby incorporated by reference.

Article VIII, Section 2(a) of the Agreement and Declaration of Trust provides that to the fullest extent that limitations on the liability of Trustees and officers are permitted by the Delaware Statutory Trust Act of 2002, the officers and Trustees shall not be responsible or liable in any event for any act or omission of: any agent or employee of the Trust; any investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Trust; or with respect to each Trustee and officer, the act or omission of any other Trustee or officer, respectively. The Trust, out of the Trust Property, is required to indemnify and hold harmless each and every officer and Trustee from and against any and all claims and demands whatsoever arising out of or related to such officer’s or Trustee’s performance of his or her duties as an officer or Trustee of the Trust. This limitation on liability applies to events occurring at the time a person serves as a Trustee or officer of the Trust whether or not such person is a Trustee or officer at the time of any proceeding in which liability is asserted. Nothing contained in the Agreement and Declaration of Trust indemnifies holds harmless or protects any officer or Trustee from or against any liability to the Trust or any shareholder to which such person would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of such person’s office.

Article VIII, Section 2(b) provides that every note, bond, contract, instrument, certificate or undertaking and every other act or document whatsoever issued, executed or done by or on behalf of the Trust, the officers or the Trustees or any of them in connection with the Trust shall be conclusively deemed to have been issued, executed or done only in such Person’s capacity as Trustee and/or as officer, and such Trustee or officer, as applicable, shall not be personally liable therefore, except as described in the last sentence of the first paragraph of Section 2 of Article VIII.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to trustees, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the provisions of Delaware law and the Agreement and Declaration of the Registrant or the By-Laws of the Registrant, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a trustee, officer or controlling person of the Trust in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such trustee, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

Certain information pertaining to the business and other connections of each Advisor of each series of the Trust is hereby incorporated herein by reference to the section of the respective Prospectus captioned “Investment Advisor” and to the section of the respective Statement of Additional Information captioned “Investment Advisory and Other Services.” The information required by this Item 31 with respect to each director, officer or partner of each Advisor is incorporated by reference to the Advisor’s Uniform Application for Investment Adviser Registration (Form ADV) on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Each Advisor’s Form ADV may be obtained, free of charge, at the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov, and may be requested by File No. as follows:

North Star Investment Management Corp., adviser to the North Star Opportunity Fund, North Star Dividend Fund, North Star Micro Cap Fund, North Star Bond Fund and North Star Small Cap Value Fund – File No. 801-62013.

Kovitz Investment Group Partners, LLC, adviser to the Al Frank Fund – File No. 801-107054.

Innealta Capital, LLC, adviser to the Dynamic U.S. Opportunity Fund, Dynamic International Opportunity Fund, Acclivity Mid Cap Multi-Style Fund, Acclivity Small Cap Growth Fund, Acclivity Small Cap Value Fund, Acclivity Broad Equity Multi-Style Fund and the Dynamic Global Diversified Fund. – File No. 801-112421

Longboard Asset Management, LP, adviser to the Longboard Managed Futures Strategy and Longboard Alternative Growth Fund – File No. 801-72623.

KKM Financial, LLC, adviser to the Essential 40 Stock Fund – File No. 801-77094.

Invenomic Capital Management, LP. adviser to the Invenomic Fund – File No. 801-110459.

LifeGoal Investments, LLC, adviser to the LifeGoal Conservative Wealth Builder ETF, LifeGoal Home Down Payment Investment ETF, and LifeGoal Wealth Builder ETF – 801-121208.

The Future Fund, LLC adviser to The Future Fund Active ETF and The Future Fund Long/Short ETF – 801-121505.

Northern Lights Distributors, LLC (“NLD”), is the principal underwriter for certain series of Northern Lights Fund Trust II. NLD also acts as principal underwriter for the following:

Absolute Core Strategy ETF, Arrow ETF Trust, DWA Tactical ETF, Arrow QVM Equity Factor ETF, Arrow Reserve Capital Management ETF, Arrow Dogs of the World ETF, Arrow DWA Country Rotation ETF, Arrow ETF Trust, Ballast Small/Mid Cap ETF, Boyar Value Fund Inc., Copeland Trust, Humankind Benefit Corporation, Miller Investment Trust, Mutual Fund and Variable Insurance Trust, Mutual Fund Series Trust, Northern Lights Fund Trust, Northern Lights Fund Trust II, Northern Lights Fund Trust III, Northern Lights Fund Trust IV, Northern Lights Variable Trust, PREDEX, Princeton Private Investment Access Fund, The North Country Funds, The Saratoga Advantage Trust, Tributary Funds, Inc., and Two Roads Shared Trust.

NLD is registered with Securities and Exchange Commission as a broker-dealer and is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. The principal business address of NLD is 4221 North 203rd Street, Suite 100, Elkhorn, NE 68022. NLD is an affiliate of Ultimus Fund Solutions, LLC. To the best of Registrant’s knowledge, the following are the managers and officers of NLD:

Foreside Financial Services, LLC serves as principal underwriter for the LifeGoal Home Down Payment Investment ETF, LifeGoal Conservative Wealth Builder ETF and LifeGoal Wealth Builder ETF. Foreside also acts as principal underwriter for the following

Calvert Ultra-Short Duration Income NextShares, Series of Calvert Management Series

VictoryShares Developed Enhanced Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II

VictoryShares Emerging Market High Div Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II

VictoryShares Emerging Market Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II

VictoryShares International High Div Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II

VictoryShares US 500 Enhanced Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II

VictoryShares US Discovery Enhanced Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II

VictoryShares US EQ Income Enhanced Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II

VictoryShares US Large Cap High Div Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II

VictoryShares US Multi-Factor Minimum Volatility ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II

VictoryShares US Small Cap High Div Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II

West Loop Realty Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust (f/k/a Chilton Realty Income & Growth Fund)

Foreside Financial Services, LLC (“Foreside”) is registered with Securities and Exchange Commission as a broker-dealer and is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. The principal business address of Foreside is Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, ME 04101. To the best of Registrant’s knowledge, the following are the managers and officers of Foreside:

The following entities prepare, maintain and preserve the records required by Section 31 (a) of the 1940 Act for the Registrant. These services are provided to the Registrant for such periods prescribed by the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission under the 1940 Act and such records are the property of the entity required to maintain and preserve such records and will be surrendered promptly on request.

U.S. Bank, National Association (“U.S. Bank”), 1555 North River Center Drive, Milwaukee, WI 53212, provides custodian services to the Al Frank Fund, Invenomic Fund, North Star Opportunity Fund, WOA All Asset I, Dynamic U.S. Opportunity Fund, Dynamic International Opportunity Fund, Longboard Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Longboard Alternative Growth Fund, North Star Dividend Fund, North Star Micro Cap Fund, North Star Bond Fund, Essential 40 Stock Fund, Acclivity Mid Cap Multi-Style Fund, Acclivity Small Cap Growth Fund, Acclivity Small Cap Value Fund, Acclivity Broad Equity Multi-Style Fund, Dynamic Global Diversified Fund and the North Star Small Cap Value Fund pursuant to a Custody Agreement between U.S. Bank and the Trust.

Brown Brothers Harriman & Co., 50 Post Office Square, Boston, MA 02110, provides custodian services to the LifeGoal Conservative Wealth Builder ETF, LifeGoal Home Down Payment Investment ETF, LifeGoal Wealth Builder ETF, The Future Fund Active ETF, Amberwave Invest USA JSG Fund and The Future Fund Long/Short ETF.

Ultimus Fund Solutions, LLC (formerly known as Gemini Fund Services, LLC) (“UFS”), located at 4221 North 203rd Street, Suite 100, Elkhorn, NE 68022, provides transfer agent and dividend disbursing services pursuant to a Transfer Agency and Service Agreements between UFS and the Trust. In such capacities, UFS provides pricing for each Fund’s portfolio securities, keeps records regarding securities and other assets in custody and in transfer, bank statements, canceled checks, financial books and records, and keeps records of each shareholder’s account and all disbursement made to shareholders. UFS also maintains all records required pursuant to Administrative Service Agreements with the Trust.

Northern Lights Distributors, LLC (“NLD”) located at 4221 North 203rd Street, Suite 100, Elkhorn, NE 68022, serves as principal underwriter for all series of Northern Lights Fund Trust II. NLD maintains all records required to be maintained pursuant to each Fund’s Distribution Plan and Agreement adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act.

Foreside Financial Services, LLC located at Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, ME 04101 (“Foreside”), serves as principal underwriter for the LifeGoal Home Down Payment Investment ETF, LifeGoal Conservative Wealth Builder ETF and LifeGoal Wealth Builder ETF. Foreside maintains all records required to be maintained pursuant to each Fund’s Distribution Plan and Agreement adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act

Northern Lights Compliance Services, LLC (“NLCS”), located at 4221 North 203rd Street, Suite 100, Elkhorn, NE 68022, provides CCO and compliance services to each Fund of the Trust.

North Star Investment Management Corp. located at 20 N. Wacker Drive, Suite 1416, Chicago, IL 60606 pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement with the Trust, maintains all records required pursuant to such agreement with respect to the North Star Opportunity Fund, North Star Dividend Fund, North Star Micro Cap Fund and North Star Bond Fund.

Pathstone Family Office, LLC located at 145 Lincoln Avenue, Suite A, Winter Park, FL 32789 pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement with the Trust, maintains all records required pursuant to such agreement with respect to the WOA All Asset I.

Kovitz Investment Group Partners, LLC located at 115 South LaSalle Street, 27^th Floor, Chicago, IL 60603 pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement with the Trust, maintains all records required pursuant to such agreement with respect to the Al Frank Fund.

Innealta Capital, LLC located at 13215 Bee Cave Parkway, Building A, Suite 240, Austin, TX 78738

pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement with the Trust, maintains all records required pursuant to such agreement with respect to the Dynamic U.S. Opportunity Fund, Dynamic International Opportunity Fund, Acclivity Mid Cap Multi-Style Fund, Acclivity Small Cap Growth Fund and the Acclivity Small Cap Value Fund, Acclivity Broad Equity Multi-Style Fund and the Dynamic Global Diversified Fund.

Longboard Asset Management, LP located at P.O. Box 97730, Phoenix, Arizona 85060-7730 pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement with the Trust, maintains all records required pursuant to such agreement with respect to the Longboard Managed Futures Strategy Fund and the Longboard Alternative Growth Fund.

KKM Financial, LLC, located at 311 South Wacker Drive, Suite 650, Chicago, IL 60606 pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement with the Trust, maintains all records required pursuant to such agreement with respect to the Essential 40 Stock Fund.

Invenomic Capital Management, LP, located at 211 Congress Street, 7^th Floor, Boston, MA 02110 pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement with the Trust, maintains all records required pursuant to such agreement with respect to the Invenomic Fund.

LifeGoal Investments, LLC located at 5 Spring Street, Saratoga Springs, New York 12866 pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement with the Trust, maintains all records required pursuant to such agreement with respect to the LifeGoal Conservative Wealth Builder ETF, LifeGoal Home Down Payment Investment ETF, LifeGoal Wealth Builder ETF.

The Future Fund LLC located at 330 N. Wabash Avenue, Suite 2300, Chicago, IL 6061112866 pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement with the Trust, maintains all records required pursuant to such agreement with respect to The Future Fund Active ETF and The Future Fund Long/Short ETF.

Amberwave Partners Research and Management, LLC located at 14090 Southwest Freeway, Suite 300, Sugar Land, TX 77478 on behalf of the Amberwave Invest USA JSG Fund.

One or more of the Registrant’s series may invest up to 25% of its respective total assets in a wholly-owned and controlled subsidiary (each a “Subsidiary” and collectively the “Subsidiaries”). Each Subsidiary will operate under the supervision of the Registrant. The Registrant hereby undertakes that the Subsidiaries will submit to inspection by the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Registrant has duly caused this Post-Effective Amendment No. 535 to its Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto authorized, in the City of Hauppauge, State of New York, on January 5, 2023.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

*Attorney-in-Fact – pursuant to powers of attorney incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 351 (filed on May 17, 2017) in the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)	Institutional Class	Investor Class
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)	None	None
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load)	None	None
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends	None	None
Annual Fund Operating Expenses⁽¹⁾ (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fee⁽¹⁾	1.00%	1.00%
Distribution and Service (Rule 12b-1) Fees	None	0.25%
Other Expenses⁽²⁾	0.45%	0.45%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	1.45%	1.70%
Fee Waiver / Expense Reimbursement⁽³⁾	(0.47%)	(0.49%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver	0.98%	1.21%

	One Year	Five Years	Ten Years⁽¹⁾
Investor Class Return Before Taxes	36.99%	8.14%	12.11%
Return After Taxes on Distributions	25.39%	5.20%	9.66%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares	25.78%	5.70%	9.35%
Institutional Class Shares
Return Before Taxes	37.28%	–	–
Russell 2000 Value Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)	28.27%	9.07	12.o3

Portfolio Managers	Primary Title	With the Fund and Predecessor Fund since
Eric Kuby	Chief Investment Officer of the Adviser since 2005.	Dec. 2022
Peter Gottlieb	Founder and President of the Adviser since 2003.	Dec. 2022

Financial Highlights - Investor Class		(Unaudited)
Selected data for a share outstanding throughout the period:		2/1/2022				2/1/2021				2/1/2020				2/1/2019				2/1/2018				2/1/2017
		to				to				to				to				to				to
		7/31/2022				1/31/2022				1/31/2021				1/31/2020				1/31/2019				1/31/2018
Net Asset Value -
Beginning of Period	$	18.23			$	20.49			$	18.80			$	18.71			$	23.87			$	22.12
Net Investment Income (Loss) ^(a)		0.02				(0.00	)	+		0.05				0.07				(0.02	)			(0.07	)
Net Gain (Loss) on Investments (Realized and Unrealized) ^(b)		(0.87	)			5.12				1.83				0.43				(2.74	)			2.99
Total from Investment Operations		(0.85	)			5.12				1.88				0.50				(2.76	)			2.92
Distributions (From Net Investment Income)		-				-		+		(0.19	)			(0.02	)			-				-
Distributions (From Capital Gains)		-				(7.38	)			-				(0.39	)			(2.40	)			(1.17	)
Total Distributions		-				(7.38	)			(0.19	)			(0.41	)			(2.40	)			(1.17	)
Proceeds from Redemption Fee (Note 2)^(e)		-				-		+		-		+		-		+		-		+		-		+
Net Asset Value -
End of Period	$	17.38			$	18.23			$	20.49			$	18.80			$	18.71			$	23.87
Total Return ^(c)		(4.66	)%	*		23.66	%			10.04	%			2.55	%			(10.27	)%			13.22	%
Ratios/Supplemental Data
Net Assets - End of Period (Thousands)	$	50,407			$	64,007			$	71,784			$	177,627			$	422,206			$	621,122
Before Reimbursement
Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets		1.45	%	**		1.38	%			1.35	%			1.30	%			1.27	%			1.26	%
Ratio of Net Investment Income (Loss) to Average Net Assets		0.01	%	**		-0.17	%			0.16	%			0.27	%			-0.09	%			-0.32	%
After Reimbursement ^(d)
Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets		1.21	%	**		1.21	%			1.21	%			1.21	%			1.27	%			1.26	%
Ratio of Net Investment Income (Loss) to Average Net Assets		0.25	%	**		-0.00	%	+		0.30	%			0.36	%			-0.09	%			-0.32	%
Portfolio Turnover Rate		18.09	%	*		71.40	%			65.91	%			56.71	%			45.51	%			45.20	%

Financial Highlights - Institutional Class		(Unaudited)
Selected data for a share outstanding throughout the period:		2/1/2022				2/1/2021				2/1/2020				2/1/2019				12/31/2018*
		to				to				to				to				to
		7/31/2022				1/31/2022				1/31/2021				1/31/2020				1/31/2019
Net Asset Value -
Beginning of Period	$	18.22			$	20.53			$	18.83			$	18.70			$	16.71
Net Investment Income (Loss) ^(a)		0.04				0.05				0.09				0.11				-		+
Net Gain (Loss) on Investments (Realized and Unrealized) ^(b)		(0.88	)			5.14				1.84				0.43				1.99
Total from Investment Operations		(0.84	)			5.19				1.93				0.54				1.99
Distributions (From Net Investment Income)		-				(0.12	)			(0.23	)			(0.02	)			-
Distributions (From Capital Gains)		-				(7.38	)			-				(0.39	)			-
Total Distributions		-				(7.50	)			(0.23	)			(0.41	)			-
Proceeds from Redemption Fee (Note 2) ^(e)		-				-		+		-		+		-		+		-
Net Asset Value -
End of Period	$	17.38			$	18.22			$	20.53			$	18.83			$	18.70
Total Return ^(c)		(4.61	)%	**		23.92	%			10.33	%			2.80	%			11.91	%	**
Ratios/Supplemental Data
Net Assets - End of Period (Thousands)	$	24,515			$	36,005			$	96,863			$	132,207			$	7,741
Before Reimbursement
Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets		1.45	%	***		1.38	%			1.35	%			1.30	%			1.37	%	***
Ratio of Net Investment Income (Loss) to Average Net Assets		0.00	%	***		-0.20	%			0.15	%			0.23	%			-0.23	%	***
After Reimbursement ^(d)
Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets		0.98	%	***		0.98	%			0.98	%			0.98	%			0.98	%	***
Ratio of Net Investment Income (Loss) to Average Net Assets		0.47	%	***		0.20	%			0.52	%			0.55	%			0.16	%	***
Portfolio Turnover Rate		18.09	%	**		71.40	%			65.91	%			56.71	%			45.51	%	**
	* Commencement of Class. Not Annualized. * Annualized. + Amount less than $0.005 per share. (a) Per share amounts were calculated using the average shares method. (b) Realized and unrealized gains and losses per share in this caption are balancing amounts necessary to reconcile the change in net asset value for the period and may not reconcile with the aggregate gains and losses in the Statement of Operations due to share transactions for the period. (c) Total return represents the rate that the investor would have earned or lost on an investment in the Fund assuming reinvestment of dividends. (d) Effective December 31, 2018, the Advisor has agreed to waive a portion of its service fees and manage- ment fees (See Note 4). (e) Prior to June 1, 2021, shares were subject to a redemption fee of 2% if redeemed after holding them for 90 days or less.

Summary Section – North Star Small Cap Value Fund	1
Investment Strategies, Related Risks and Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings	6
Investment Objective	6
Principal Investment Strategies	6
General Investment Policies	6
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund	6
Portfolio Holdings Information	8
Management of the Fund	9
The Adviser	9
Portfolio Managers	9
Shareholder Information	10
Share Price	10
Choosing a Share Class	12
More About Institutional Class Shares	12
More About Investor Class Shares	12
Shareholder Services Plan	12
How to Purchase Shares	12
How to Redeem Shares	14
Internet Transactions	18
Conversion of Shares	18
Tools to Combat Frequent Transactions	19
Distribution of Fund Shares	20
Distributions and Taxes	21
Tax Status, Dividends and Distributions	21
Financial Highlights	23

Institutional Class	Initial	Additional
Regular Account	$100,000	$1,000
Automatic Investment Plan	$100,000	$1,000
IRA Account	$100,000	$1,000

Investor Class	Initial	Additional
Regular Account	$2,500	$100
Automatic Investment Plan	$2,500	$100
IRA Account	$2,500	$100

via Regular mail:		via Overnight mail:
Ultimus Fund Solutions, LLC		Ultimus Fund Solutions, LLC
P.O. Box 541150		4221 North 203rd Street, Suite 100
Omaha, NE 68154		Elkhorn, NE 68022

via regular mail:		via overnight mail:
c/o Ultimus Fund Solutions, LLC		c/o Ultimus Fund Solutions, LLC
P.O. Box 541150		4221 North 203rd Street, Suite 100
Omaha, NE 68154		Elkhorn, NE 68022

FACTS	WHAT DOES NORTHERN LIGHTS FUND TRUST II (“NLFT II”) DO WITH YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION?
Why?	Financial companies choose how they share your personal information. Federal law gives consumers the right to limit some but not all sharing. Federal law also requires us to tell you how we collect, share, and protect your personal information. Please read this notice carefully to understand what we do.
What?	The types of personal information we collect and share depend on the product or service you have with us. This information can include:
	· Social Security number · Employment information · Account balances	· Account transactions · Income · Investment experience
	When you are no longer our customer, we continue to share your information as described in this notice.
How?	All financial companies need to share a customer’s personal information to run their everyday business - to process transactions, maintain customer accounts, and report to credit bureaus. In the section below, we list the reasons financial companies can share their customer’s personal information; the reasons NLFT II chooses to share; and whether you can limit this sharing.
Reasons we can share your personal information			Does NLFT II share?	Can you limit this sharing?
For our everyday business purposes -- such as to process your transactions, maintain your account(s), respond to court orders and legal investigations, or report to credit bureaus			Yes	No
For our marketing purposes -- to offer our products and services to you			Yes	No
For joint marketing with other financial companies			Yes	No
For our affiliates’ everyday business purposes -- information about your transactions and experiences			Yes	No
For our affiliates’ everyday business purposes -- information about your creditworthiness			No	We don’t share
For nonaffiliates to market to you			No	We don’t share
Questions?	Call 1-631-490-4300

Who we are
Who is providing this notice?	Northern Lights Fund Trust II
What we do
How does NLFT II protect my personal information?	To protect your personal information from unauthorized access and use, we use security measures that comply with federal law. These measures include computer safeguards and secured files and buildings.
How does NLFT II collect my personal information?	We collect your personal information, for example, when you
	· open an account · give us your income information · provide employment information	· provide account information · give us your contact information
	We also collect your personal information from others, such as credit bureaus, affiliates, or other companies.
Why can’t I limit all sharing?	Federal law gives you the right to limit only · sharing for affiliates’ everyday business purposes—information about your creditworthiness · affiliates from using your information to market to you · sharing for nonaffiliates to market to you State laws and individual companies may give you additional rights to limit sharing.
Definitions
Affiliates	Companies related by common ownership or control. They can be financial and nonfinancial companies. · NLFT II has no affiliates.
Nonaffiliates	Companies not related by common ownership or control. They can be financial and nonfinancial companies. · NLFT II does not share with nonaffiliates so they can market to you.
Joint marketing	A formal agreement between nonaffiliated financial companies that together market financial products and services to you. · Our joint marketing partners include other financial service companies.

The Trust	1
Investment Policies, Strategies and Associated Risks	2
Fundamental Investment Limitations	23
Management of the Fund	25
Board of Trustees	25
Board Leadership Structure	26
Trustees and Officers	27
Board Committees	30
Other Committees of the Trust	30
Trustee Compensation	30
Control Persons and Principal Shareholders	31
Investment Adviser	32
Portfolio Managers	34
Other Service Providers	36
Distribution of Fund Shares	38
12b-1 Distribution Plan	38
Portfolio Transactions and Brokerage Allocation	40
Portfolio Turnover	41
Code of Ethics	42
Proxy Voting Procedures	42
Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Program	42
Portfolio Holdings Information	42
Determination of Net Asset Value	44
Financial Statements	54
APPENDIX “A” RATINGS DEFINITIONS	56
APPENDIX “B” Proxy Voting Policy	72

		Secretary and Chief Legal Officer of AdvisorOne Fund (from 2003 to 2018).
Thomas T. Sarkany 1946	Trustee since October 2011	President, TTS Consultants, LLC (since 2010) (financial services firm).	5	Trustee, Arrow ETF Trust; Trustee, Arrow Investments Trust; Trustee, Northern Lights Fund Trust IV
Anthony H. Lewis 1946	Trustee since May 2011	Chairman and CEO of The Lewis Group USA (since 2007) (executive consulting firm).	5	Director, Member of the Compensation Committee and Member of the Risk Committee of Torotel Inc. (Magnetics, Aerospace and Defense), Trustee, Chairman of the Fair Valuation Committee and Member of the Audit Committee of the Wildermuth Endowment Strategy Fund
Keith Rhoades 1948	Trustee since May 2011	Retired since 2008.	5	NONE
Randy Skalla 1962	Trustee since May 2011	President, L5 Enterprises, Inc. (since 2001) (financial services company).	5	Board Member, Orizon Investment Counsel (financial services company) (2001 through 2017)

		(formerly, Gemini Fund Services, LLC) (since 2019), President, Ultimus Fund Solutions, LLC (formerly, Gemini Fund Services, LLC) (2012 - 2019).
Richard Malinowski 1983	Secretary since January 2018	Senior Vice President and Senior Managing Counsel, Ultimus Fund Solutions, LLC (formerly, Gemini Fund Services, LLC), (since February 2020); Senior Vice President Legal Administration, Ultimus Fund Solutions, LLC (formerly, Gemini Fund Services, LLC) (April 2017 to February 2020); Vice President and Counsel (April 2016 – 2017) and AVP and Staff Attorney (September 2012 – March 2016).	N/A	N/A
Erik Naviloff 1968	Treasurer since January 2013	Vice President of Ultimus Fund Solutions, LLC (formerly, Gemini Fund Services, LLC) (since 2012).	N/A	N/A
Jared Lahman 1986	Anti-Money Laundering Officer since January 2022	Compliance Analyst, Northern Lights Compliance Services, LLC (since January 2019); Manager, Fund Accounting, Ultimus Fund Solutions, LLC (formerly, Gemini Fund Services, LLC) (January 2014 to December 2018).	N/A	N/A
Emile Molineaux 1962	Chief Compliance Officer and Anti-Money Laundering Officer since May 2011	Senior Compliance Officer and CCO of various clients of Northern Lights Compliance Services, LLC (since 2011).	N/A	N/A

Name	North Star Small Cap Value Fund	Pension or Retirement Benefits Accrued as Part of Fund Expenses	Estimated Annual Benefits Upon Retirement	Total Compensation From Fund Complex Paid to Trustees***
Thomas T. Sarkany	$	None	None	$
Anthony Lewis	$	None	None	$
Keith Rhoades*	$	None	None	$
Randy Skalla	$	None	None	$
Brian Nielsen**	$	None	None	$

Name of Trustee	Dollar Range of Equity Securities in the Fund	Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity Securities in All Registered Investment Companies Overseen by Trustee in Family of Investment Companies
Thomas T. Sarkany	None	None
Anthony Lewis	None	None
Keith Rhoades	None	None
Randal Skalla	None	None
Brian Nielsen	None	None

Name of Shareholder	Total Shares Owned	% Of Share Class Owned

Investor Class Shares
Charles Schwab & Co. Inc. ATTN: Mutual Funds 211 Main Street San Francisco, CA 94105

Institutional Class Shares
Charles Schwab & Co. Inc. ATTN: Mutual Funds 211 Main Street San Francisco, CA 94105

TD Ameritrade Inc. For the Exclusive Benefit of Our Clients P.O. Box 2226 Omaha, NE


North Star Small Cap Value Fund	Expense Limitation
Institutional Class	0.98%
Investor Class	1.21%

Portfolio Managers	Registered Investment Companies (excluding the Fund)				Other Pooled Investment Vehicles				Other Accounts
		Number of Accounts		Total Assets in the Accounts		Number of Accounts		Total Assets in the Accounts		Number of Accounts		Total Assets in the Accounts

Eric Kuby	0		$0		0		$0		368		$525,217,386
Peter Gottlieb	0		$0		0		$0		466		$430,905,988

Name of Portfolio Manager	Dollar Range of Equity Securities in the Fund
Eric Kuby	None
Peter Gottlieb	None

	Brokerage Commissions
Fiscal year ended January 31, 2022	$317,037
Fiscal year ended January 31, 2021	$480,021
Fiscal year ended January 31, 2020	$628,103

Information Posting	Frequency of Disclosure	Date of Web Posting
Complete Portfolio Holdings	Monthly	15 days after the end of each calendar month for the Fund
Top 10 Portfolio Holdings and other portfolio characteristics	Monthly	10 days after the end of each calendar month for the Fund

—	Preliminary ratings may be assigned to obligations, most commonly structured and project finance issues, pending receipt of final documentation and legal opinions. Assignment of a final rating is conditional on the receipt and approval by Standard & Poor’s of appropriate documentation. Changes in the information provided to Standard & Poor’s could result in the assignment of a different rating. In addition, Standard & Poor’s reserves the right not to issue a final rating.

—	Preliminary ratings are assigned to Rule 415 Shelf Registrations. As specific issues, with defined terms, are offered from the master registration, a final rating may be assigned to them in accordance with Standard & Poor’s policies. The final rating may differ from the preliminary rating.

—	Likelihood of payment—capacity and willingness of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on an obligation in accordance with the terms of the obligation;

—	Nature of and provisions of the obligation;

—	Protection afforded by, and relative position of, the obligation in the event of bankruptcy, reorganization, or other arrangement under the laws of bankruptcy and other laws affecting creditors’ rights.

—	Amortization schedule—the larger the final maturity relative to other maturities, the more likely it will be treated as a note; and

—	Source of payment—the more dependent the issue is on the market for its refinancing, the more likely it will be treated as a note.

(a)(1)	Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated August 26, 2010.³
(a)(2)	Certificate of Trust as filed with the State of Delaware on August 26, 2010.³
(b)	By-Laws, effective as of August 26, 2010. ³
(c)	Instruments Defining Rights of Security Holders. See Article III, “Shares” and Article V “Shareholders’ Voting Powers and Meetings” of the Registrant’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust. See also, Article II, “Meetings of Shareholders” of the Registrant’s By-Laws.
(d)(1)	Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Two Oaks Investment Management, LLC, with respect to Two Oaks Diversified Growth and Income Fund. ⁴
(d)(2)	Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and North Star Investment Management Corp., with respect to the North Star Opportunity Fund, North Star Dividend Fund, North Star Micro Cap Fund and North Star Bond Fund. ⁸⁵
(d)(3)	Amended Appendix A to the Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and North Star Investment Management Corp., with respect to the North Star Opportunity Fund, North Star Dividend Fund, North Star Micro Cap Fund and North Star Bond Fund. ²¹⁷
(d)(4)	Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Eaton Vance WaterOak Advisors on behalf of WOA All Asset I. ²¹⁴
(d)(5)	Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Kovitz Investment Group Partners, LLC, on behalf of the Al Frank Fund.¹⁸⁰
(d)(6)	Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Longboard Asset Management, LP on behalf of the Longboard Managed Futures Strategy Fund and Longboard Alternative Growth Fund.¹⁷⁷
(d)(7)	Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and KKM Financial, LLC on behalf of the Essential 40 Stock Fund. ¹⁶⁰
(d)(8)	Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and FormulaFolio Investments, LLC on behalf of the FormulaFolios US Equity Fund. ¹⁸³
(d)(9)	Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Innealta Capital, LLC on behalf of the Dynamic International Opportunity Fund, Dynamic U.S. Opportunity Fund, Acclivity Mid Cap Multi-Style Fund, Acclivity Small Cap Growth Fund, Acclivity Small Cap Value Fund, Acclivity Broad Equity Multi-Style Fund and the Dynamic Global Diversified Fund.¹⁹⁹
(d)(10)	Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Invenomic Capital Management, LP on behalf of the Invenomic Fund. ¹⁹³
(d)(11)	Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and LifeGoal Investments, LLC with respect to LifeGoal Conservative Wealth Builder ETF, LifeGoal Home Down Payment Investment ETF and LifeGoal Wealth Builder ETF. ²²³
(d)(12)	Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between LifeGoal Investments, LLC and Penserra Capital Management, LLC with respect to LifeGoal Conservative Wealth Builder ETF, LifeGoal Home Down Payment Investment ETF, and LifeGoal Wealth Builder ETF. ²²³
(d)(13)	Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and The Future Fund, LLC with respect to The Future Fund Active ETF. ²²²
(d)(14)	Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Amberwave Partners Research and Management, LLC with respect to the Amberwave Invest USA JSG Fund. ²²⁸
(d)(15)	Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Amberwave Partners Research and Management, LLC and Vident Investment Advisory, LLC with respect to the Amberwave Invest USA JSG Fund. ²²⁸
(d)(16)	Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and The Future Fund, LLC with respect to The Future Fund Long/Short ETF. ²
(d)(17)	Amended Appendix A to the Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and North Star Investment Management Corp., with respect to the North Star Small Cap Value Fund. ²
(d)(18)	Agreement and Plan of Reorganization by and among Advisors Series Trust, with respect to the Al Frank Fund and Al Frank Dividend Value Fund, each a separate series of Advisors Series Trust, the Registrant, on behalf of the Al Frank Fund and Al Frank Dividend Value Fund, each a separate series of the Registrant, and Al Frank Asset Management, Inc. dated January 18, 2013.²
(d)(19)	Agreement and Plan of Reorganization by and among Professionally Managed Portfolios, with respect to the Balter Long/Short Equity Fund, a separate series of Professionally Managed Portfolios, the Registrant, on behalf of the Balter Long/Short Equity Fund, a separate series of the Registrant, and Balter Liquid Alternatives, LLC dated June 24, 2015.¹⁰⁸
(d)(20)	Agreement and Plan of Reorganization dated April 21, 2017 with respect to the reorganization of the Al Frank Dividend Value Fund into the Al Frank Fund. ¹⁵⁴
(d)(21)	Master Securities Loan Agreement between AFAM Capital, Inc., Morgan Stanley & Co., LLC and MS Securities Services, Inc.⁴⁵
(e)(1)	Underwriting Agreement between the Registrant and Northern Lights Distributors LLC.¹⁸⁷
(e)(2)	ETF Distribution Agreement between the Registrant and Northern Lights Distributors, LLC. ²²³
(f)	Bonus or Profit Sharing Contracts - Not Applicable
(g)(1)	Custody Agreement between the Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon. ⁴
(g)(2)	Custody Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bank, N.A., on behalf of the Al Frank Fund.⁴⁶
(g)(3)	Addendum dated November 10, 2015 to the Custody Agreement dated May 26, 2015 between the Registrant and U.S. Bank, N.A., to add the FormulaFolios US Equity Fund. ¹¹⁸
(g)(4)	Fourth Amendment, effective June 1, 2017, to the Custody Agreement dated May 26, 2015 between the Registrant and U.S. Bank, N.A., on behalf of the Balter L/S Small Cap Equity Fund, Balter European L/S Small Cap Fund, and Balter Invenomic Fund. ¹⁵⁵
(g)(5)	Custody Agreement between the Registrant and Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. ²²²
(h)(1)	Master Fund Services Agreement between the Registrant and Ultimus Fund Solutions, LLC dated October 19, 2021. ²²⁸
(h)(2)	Master ETF Fund Services Agreement between the Registrant and Ultimus Fund Solutions, LLC dated October 19, 2021. ²²⁸
(h)(3)	Fund Services Agreement between the Registrant and Gemini Fund Services, LLC, on behalf of North Star Opportunity Fund, North Star Dividend Fund, North Star Micro Cap Fund and North Star Bond Fund.⁸⁵
(h)(4)	Fund Services Agreement between the Registrant and Gemini Fund Services, LLC, on behalf of WOA All Asset I. ²¹⁴
(h)(5)	Fund Services Agreement between the Registrant and Gemini Fund Services, LLC, on behalf of the Al Frank Fund. ⁷⁵
(h)(6)	Fund Services Agreement between the Registrant and Gemini Fund Services, LLC, on behalf of the Longboard Managed Futures Strategy Fund. ³⁵
(h)(7)	Fund Services Agreement between the Registrant and Gemini Fund Services, LLC, on behalf of the Essential 40 Stock Fund (formerly, KKM Enhanced U.S. Equity Fund). ⁷⁶
(h)(8)	Fund Services Agreement between the Registrant and Gemini Fund Services, LLC, on behalf of the Longboard Alternative Growth Fund (formerly, Longboard Long/Short Fund). ⁹⁴
(h)(9)	Fund Services Agreement between the Registrant and Gemini Fund Services, LLC, on behalf of the FormulaFolios US Equity Fund. ¹¹⁸
(h)(10)	Fund Services Agreement between the Registrant and Gemini Fund Services, LLC, on behalf of the Dynamic U.S. Opportunity Fund, Dynamic International Opportunity Fund, Acclivity Mid Cap Multi-Style Fund, Acclivity Small Cap Growth Fund, Acclivity Small Cap Value Fund, Acclivity Broad Equity Multi-Style Fund and the Dynamic Global Diversified Fund. ¹⁹⁹
(h)(11)	Fund Services Agreement between the Registrant and Gemini Fund Services, LLC, on behalf of the Invenomic Fund. ¹⁹⁹
(h)(12)	ETF Fund Services Agreement between the Registrant and Gemini Fund Services, LLC, on behalf of LifeGoal Conservative Wealth Builder ETF, LifeGoal Home Down Payment Investment ETF and LifeGoal Wealth Builder ETF. ²²³
(h)(13)	ETF Fund Services Agreement between the Registrant and Gemini Fund Services, LLC, on behalf of The Future Fund Active ETF. ²²²
(h)(14)	ETF Fund Services Agreement between the Registrant and Ultimus Fund Solutions, LLC, on behalf of Amberwave Invest USA JSG Fund. ²²⁸
(h)(15)	ETF Fund Services Agreement between the Registrant and Ultimus Fund Solutions, LLC, on behalf of The Future Fund Long/Short ETF. ²
(h)(16)	Fund Services Agreement between the Registrant and Ultimus Fund Solutions, LLC, on behalf of North Star Small Cap Value Fund. ²
(h)(17)	Expense Limitation Agreement between the Registrant, with respect to Two Oaks Diversified Growth and Income Fund. ⁴
(h)(18)	Expense Limitation Agreement between the Registrant, with respect to North Star Opportunity Fund, North Star Dividend Fund, North Star Micro Cap Fund and North Star Bond Fund.⁸⁵
(h)(19)	Amended Appendix A to the Expense Limitation Agreement between the Registrant, with respect to North Star Opportunity Fund, North Star Dividend Fund, North Star Micro Cap Fund and North Star Bond Fund. ²¹⁷
(h)(20)	Expense Limitation Agreement between the Registrant, with respect to WOA All Asset I. ²¹⁴
(h)(21)	Expense Limitation Agreement between the Registrant, with respect to the Dynamic U.S. Opportunity Fund and the Dynamic International Opportunity Fund, Acclivity Mid Cap Multi-Style Fund, Acclivity Small Cap Growth Fund, Acclivity Small Cap Value Fund, Acclivity Broad Equity Multi-Style Fund and the Dynamic Global Diversified Fund. ¹⁹⁹
(h)(22)	Expense Limitation Agreement between the Registrant, with respect to the Al Frank Fund.¹⁸⁰
(h)(23)	Expense Limitation Agreement between the Registrant, with respect to the Essential 40 Stock Fund. ¹⁶⁰
(h)(24)	Expense Limitation Agreement between the Registrant, with respect to the FormulaFolios US Equity Fund. ¹⁸³
(h)(25)	Expense Limitation Agreement between the Registrant, with respect to the Invenomic Fund.¹⁹³
(h)(26)	Expense Limitation Agreement between the Registrant, with respect to the LifeGoal Conservative wealth Builder ETF, LifeGoal Home Down Payment Investment ETF and LifeGoal Wealth Builder ETF. ²²³
(h)(27)	Expense Limitation Agreement between the Registrant, with respect to The Future Fund Active ETF. ²²²
(h)(28)	Expense Limitation Agreement between the Registrant, with respect to The Future Fund Long/Short ETF. ²
(h)(29)	Expense Limitation Agreement between the Registrant, with respect to the North Star Small Cap Value Fund. ²
(h)(30)	Collateral Account Agreement between the Registrant and Amberwave Partners Research and Management, LLC with respect to the Amberwave Invest USA JSG Fund. ²²⁸
(h)(31)	Amended and Restated Consulting Agreement between the Registrant and Northern Lights Compliance Services, LLC.²³⁵
(h)(32)	Shareholder Services Plan on behalf of the Invenomic Fund. ¹⁹³
(i)(1)	Opinion of Alston & Bird LLP regarding the North Star Opportunity Fund, North Star Dividend Fund, North Star Micro Cap Fund and North Star Bond Fund. ²³⁰
(i)(2)	Opinion of Alston & Bird LLP regarding the Dynamic U.S. Opportunity Fund and the Dynamic International Opportunity Fund. ²³³
(i)(3)	Opinion of Alston & Bird LLP regarding the WOA All Asset I ²³⁵
(i)(4)	Opinion of Alston & Bird LLP regarding the Longboard Managed Futures Strategy Fund and Longboard Alternative Growth Fund. ²³⁷
(i)(5)	Opinion of Alston & Bird LLP regarding the Two Oaks Diversified Growth and Income Fund. ²¹¹
(i)(6)	Opinion of Alston & Bird LLP regarding the Al Frank Fund. ²³²
(i)(7)	Opinion of Alston & Bird LLP regarding the Essential 40 Stock Fund. ²³⁸
(i)(8)	Opinion of Alston & Bird LLP regarding the FormulaFolios US Equity Fund. ¹²³
(i)(9)	Opinion of Alston & Bird LLP regarding the Acclivity Mid Cap Multi-Style Fund, Acclivity Small Cap Growth Fund and the Acclivity Small Cap Value Fund. ²³⁴
(i)(10)	Opinion of Alston & Bird LLP regarding the Invenomic Fund. ²²⁸
(i)(11)	Opinion of Alston & Bird LLP regarding the Acclivity Broad Equity Multi-Style Fund and the Dynamic Global Diversified Fund.¹⁹⁷
(i)(12)	Opinion of Alston & Bird LLP regarding the LifeGoal Conservative Wealth Builder ETF, LifeGoal Home Down Payment Investment ETF and LifeGoal Wealth Builder ETF. ²³⁹
(i)(13)	Opinion of Alston & Bird LLP regarding The Future Fund Active ETF. ²³⁶
(i)(14)	Opinion of Alston & Bird LLP regarding the Amberwave Invest USA JSG Fund. ²²⁶
(i)(15)	Opinion of Alston & Bird LLP regarding The Future Fund Long/Short ETF. ²²⁷
(i)(16)	Opinion of Alston & Bird LLP regarding the North Star Small Cap Value Fund. ²
(i)(17)	Consent of Alston & Bird LLP.¹
(j)(1)	Consent of Cohen & Company, Ltd. with respect to the Two Oaks Diversified Growth and Income Fund. ²¹¹
(j)(2)	Consent of RSM US LLP with respect to North Star Bond Fund, North Star Opportunity Fund, North Star Micro Cap Fund and North Star Dividend Fund. ²³⁰
(j)(3)	Consent of Tait, Weller & Baker, LLP with respect to WOA All Asset I. ²³⁵
(j)(4)	Consent of BBD, LLP with respect to the Dynamic U.S. Opportunity Fund and the Dynamic International Opportunity Fund. ²³³
(j)(5)	Consent of RSM US LLP with respect to the Longboard Managed Futures Strategy Fund and Longboard Alternative Growth Fund. 237
(j)(6)	Consent of Tait, Weller & Baker LLP with respect to the Al Frank Fund and Al Frank Dividend Value Fund.⁴⁹
(j)(7)	Consent of BBD, LLP with respect to the Al Frank Fund. ²³²
(j)(8)	Consent of RSM US LLP with respect to the Essential 40 Stock Fund.²³⁸
(j)(9)	Consent of Cohen & Company, Ltd. with respect to the FormulaFolios US Equity Fund. ²³¹
(j)(10)	Consent of BBD, LLP with respect to the Acclivity Mid-Cap Multi-Style Fund, Acclivity Small Cap Growth Fund and the Acclivity Small Cap Value Fund. ²³⁴
(j)(11)	Consent of Tait, Weller & Baker LLP with respect to the Invenomic Fund.²²⁸
(j)(12)	Consent of BBD, LLP with respect to the Acclivity Broad Equity Multi-Style Fund and the Dynamic Global Diversified Fund.¹⁹⁷
(j)(13)	Consent of Cohen & Company, Ltd on behalf of the LifeGoal Conservative Wealth Builder ETF, LifeGoal Home Down Payment Investment ETF and LifeGoal Wealth Builder ETF. ²³⁹
(j)(14)	Consent of BBD LP on behalf of The Future Fund Active ETF. ²³⁶
(j)(15)	Consent of BBD LLP on behalf of the Amberwave Invest USA JSG Fund. ²²⁶
(j)(16)	Consent of BBD LLP on behalf of The Future Fund Long/Short ETF. ²²⁷
(j)(17)	Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm on behalf of the North Star Small Cap Value Fund. ²
(j)(18)	Power of Attorney. ¹⁵⁵
(k)	Omitted Financial Statements - Not Applicable.
(l)	Initial Capital Agreements - Not Applicable.
(m)(1)	Class A Master Distribution and Shareholder Services Plan Pursuant to Rule 12b-1. ¹⁵⁴
(m)(2)	Class C Master Distribution and Shareholder Services Plan Pursuant to Rule 12b-1. ¹⁵⁴
(m)(3)	Class I Master Distribution and Shareholder Services Plan Pursuant to Rule 12b-1. ¹⁵⁶
(m)(4)	Class N Master Distribution and Shareholder Services Plan Pursuant to Rule 12b-1. ¹⁷⁹
(m)(5)	Class R Master Distribution and Shareholder Services Plan Pursuant to Rule 12b-1. ¹⁵⁴
(m)(6)	Investor Class Master Distribution and Shareholder Services Plan Pursuant to Rule 12b-1. ¹⁵⁶
(m)(7)	Service Class Master Distribution and Shareholder Services Plan Pursuant to Rule 12b-1. ⁴⁶
(m)(8)	Shareholder Servicing Plan and Agreement on behalf of the Balter L/S Small Cap Equity Fund (formerly the Balter Long/Short Equity Fund), Balter European L/S Small Cap Fund and Balter Invenomic Fund.¹⁵⁵
(n)	Rule 18f-3 Plan, as amended October 15, 2020.²¹⁴
(p)(1)	Code of Ethics of the Gemini Companies.²⁰⁴
(p)(2)	Code of Ethics for North Star Investment Management Corp.⁷
(p)(3)	Code of Ethics for Pathstone Family Office, LLC ²³⁵
(p)(4)	Code of Ethics for Longboard Asset Management, LP. ¹¹⁵
(p)(5)	Code of Ethics for KKM Financial, LLC. ⁷⁴
(p)(6)	Code of Ethics for Invenomic Capital Management, LP. ¹⁵⁵

(p)(7)	Code of Ethics for Innealta Capital, LLC. ¹⁷²
(p)(8)	Code of Ethics for Kovitz Investment Group Partners, LLC. ¹⁸⁰
(p)(9)	Code of Ethics for LifeGoal Investments, LLC. ²²³
(p)(10)	Code of Ethics for The Future Fund, LLC. ²²²
(p)(11)	Code of Ethics for Amberwave Partners Research and Management, LLC. ²²⁷

Name	Positions and Offices with Underwriter	Positions and Offices with the Trust
Kevin Guerette	President	None
Stephen Preston	Chief Compliance Officer, Financial Operations Principal, and AML Compliance Officer	None
William J. Strait	Manager, Secretary and General Counsel	None
David James	Manager	None

Name	Position with Underwriter	Position with Registrant

Richard J. Berthy	President, Treasurer	None
	and Manager

Mark A. Fairbanks	Vice President	None

Nanette K. Chern	Vice President and	None
	Chief Compliance
	Officer

Jennifer K. DiValerio	Vice President	None

Jennifer E. Hoopes	Secretary	None

Signature	Title	Date

Brian Nielsen*	_________________________ Trustee & Chairman	January 5, 2023
Thomas Sarkany*	_________________________ Trustee	January 5, 2023
Anthony Lewis*	_________________________ Trustee	January 5, 2023
Keith Rhoades*	_________________________ Trustee	January 5, 2023
Randy Skalla*	_________________________ Trustee	January 5, 2023
Kevin Wolf*	_________________________ President and Principal Executive Officer	January 5, 2023
Erik Naviloff*	_________________________ Treasurer and Principal Financial Officer	January 5, 2023